Former President Trump’s legal team suggested Tuesday that even a president directing SEAL Team Six to kill a political opponent would be an action barred from prosecution given a former executive&…

Former President Trump’s legal team suggested Tuesday that even a president directing SEAL Team Six to kill a political opponent would be an action barred from prosecution given a former executive’s broad immunity to criminal prosecution.

The hypothetical was presented to Trump attorney John Sauer who answered with a “qualified yes” that a former president would be immune from prosecution on that matter or even on selling pardons.

  • agitatedpotato@lemmy.world
    11·
    6 months ago

    Unless im mistaken every US soldier not only has the ability but the duty to refuse unlawful orders. ‘Just following orders’ is not acceptable in reducing any amount of personal fault iirc.

    • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
      3·
      6 months ago

      You’re correct, but Nukes get reminded about it constantly during training, cause of the reactor that we were expected to know everything about, and the officers don’t.

      • agitatedpotato@lemmy.world
        3·
        6 months ago

        Makes sense, highly specialized skills and labor like that typically sometimes get lost on those who are fit to just manage them and not do it themselves.

      • Carlo@lemmy.ca
        3·
        6 months ago

        We got lots of Law of War stuff in the infantry as well. People that don’t know any better sometimes assume that the military is just a bunch of cops.

        • Case@lemmynsfw.com
          2·
          6 months ago

          This may stem from the fact that police forces are running around with, essentially, military hardware.

          There is also a lack of oversight when employing this hardware.

          Hell, a cop could unload a magazine at a child holding a stuffed toy, and just say he was scared, and get a month or longer off paid while the department “investigates” itself, and finds no wrong doing.

          Police frequently go to the wrong house, and go in guns blazing on innocent sleeping people.

          These are militaristic actions performed by a group of people who hire, in part, by the LACK of intelligence in their staff.

          Yes, being too smart can disqualify you from police work.

          So yes, they get conflated. Have a problem with that? Good, so do I.

          Fuck it, require special training to carry a firearm on duty.

          And that training shouldn’t include learned paranoia, like current training does.

          The UK, as a middle ground for training requirements requires 2250 hours of training. Aren’t they known for carrying the frightfully lethal whistle? You know, the same basic kind that gym teachers and children’s sports coaches use?

          US police require 672 hours. 3.35 (rounded) times LESS training than the UK police.

          Source: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/police-training-requirements-by-country

          • Carlo@lemmy.ca
            1·
            6 months ago

            Yeah, the cops in the US are god-awful, no arguments here. Besides the acquisition of surplus military gear, the lack of adequate training, and the chronic failure of oversight and accountability at all levels of government, they’ve got this toxic warrior-cop culture that encourages them to act like violent thugs.

            I’m (very)cautiously optimistic about the military not supporting a fascist coup. But the cops are chock full o’brownshirts. It’s like “Oops, all Brownshirts!” Which is like, the worst fucking cereal.