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<\/p>\nAll 10 living former U.S. defense secretaries called for a peaceful transition of power this month and warned that any effort to involve the military in resolving election disputes \u201cwould take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three days before Congress meets to certify President-elect Joe Biden\u2019s victory, the group, who served Democratic and Republican presidents, evoked the Civil War in a message to President Donald Trump to concede defeat, though it didn\u2019t name him.<\/p>\n
Signers included James Mattis, who resigned as Trump\u2019s defense secretary in 2018, and Mark Esper, whom Trump fired in a tweet in November.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerican elections and the peaceful transfers of power that result are hallmarks of our democracy,\u201d the group said in a Washington Post opinion piece. \u201cThe time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
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While Trump has promoted unsubstantiated claims of majo vote fraud, and egged on supporters who plan to rally in Washington on Jan. 6, the former defense leaders focused on calls in some circles to involve the military in overturning the results of the Nov. 3 presidential election. They include Trump\u2019s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who asserted last month that Trump has the power to rerun the election in swing states under military supervision.<\/p>\n
\u201cCivilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic,\u201d the former defense secretaries said.<\/p>\n
They called on acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and his subordinates to cooperate with the Biden transition team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey must also refrain from any political actions that undermine the results of the election or hinder the success of the new team,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
The other former defense chiefs backing the opinion piece are Ashton Carter, Dick Cheney, William Cohen, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld.<\/p>\n