“It’s just ridiculous!” … Is it?

Trump’s Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, has become quite a star at CNN. I imagine that he likes to play the center position and that CNN likes having someone who looks like the middle too. But he was hand-picked by Trump, first as Secretary of the Army right after Trump took over and then appointed to Defense.

Esper’s background with the right-wing Heritage Foundation and as a lobbyist for defense contractors was questioned by some, but his combat experience in the Army was in his favor. Also in his favor was the fact that he stood his ground and refused to allow Trump to use the military and the Insurrection Act in the streets of America to back his goal of taking over by force while he was still President. His reward from Trump: He was fired by Tweet. He didn’t even get the dignity of a letter.

This morning on CNN, Esper was interviewed again about the Supreme Court case for Trump’s bid to have “his” justices declare that he has complete immunity from prosecution. A group of retired admirals and generals has filed a brief saying that Trump’s claim of presidential immunity would “inject chaos” into military operations. Esper replied that the generals and admirals should stay out of politics. CNN pointed out that Trump’s own lawyers in their official response to the Court said that Trump could order SEAL Team Six to kill a political opponent. Esper said that “it’s just ridiculous” to think that could happen.

Is it? Let’s look at history.

• The key event that made Hitler the dictator or Germany was the German Enabling Act of 1933. It was essentially a declaration of Germany’s Reichstag that Hitler had immunity just like Trump wants to have.
• Just 15 months after the German Enabling Act was passed, Hitler ordered his own private army of killers, the SS, to murder his German political rivals, including Ernst Röhm, the head of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the Nazis’ own paramilitary organization up to that time. Wikipedia states that “at least 85 people were murdered in the purge” and that some estimates go as high as 1,000. Look up “Night of the Long Knives” for all the confirmation you might want to have of this horrific act.

It’s not ridiculous. It’s happened before and Trump is actively trying to do it again. Esper, of all people, should know that it’s later than you think.