No hyperbole here at all as the Trump fearmongery ratchets up to '11'. If Trump is elected, and follows through on his pledges, retired Marine General John Allen (former top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan) exclaimed, it would create "a civil-military crisis, the like of which we've not seen in this country before." In other words, the 'passionate Clinton supporter' told ABC, the election of Republican Donald Trump as president could mean a breakdown in the relationship between civilian and military leaders - i.e a coup.
"It's an inherent responsibility in who we are," Allen said. "So what we need to do is ensure that we don't create an environment that puts us on a track conceivably where the United States military finds itself in a civil military crisis with a commander in chief who would have us do illegal things."
"That's a major issue that we're facing here, the potential for a civil military crisis where the military could be ordered to conduct illegal activities," he added.
But Allen, a supporter of Hillary Clinton who spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, said he hoped it wouldn't come to a public feud between military leaders and a Trump administration.
"My hope would be that the conversation would occur quietly in the Oval Office, or somewhere else, to advise him not to continue along this track," Allen said.
Allen also deflected criticism from Trump, who dismissed him as a "failed general" in response to his Democratic convention speech criticizing the Republican's national security stances.
"He has no credibility to criticize me or my record or anything that I have done," the retired four-star general said. "If he had spent a minute in the deserts of Afghanistan or in the deserts of Iraq, I might listen to what he has to say."
...Oh one more thing.
In 2012, as NY Daily News reports, General Allen quietly 'retired' after Leon Panetta's investigation of David Petraeus exposed his inappropriate flirtations with a Florida socialite...
The sex scandal that led to CIA Director David Petraeus' downfall widened Tuesday with word the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is under investigation for alleged "inappropriate communications" with another woman involved in the case. Some of the material was "flirtatious," an official said.
Even as the FBI prepared a timeline for Congress about the investigation that brought to light Petraeus' extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta revealed that the Pentagon had begun an internal investigation into emails between Gen. John Allen and a Florida woman involved in the case.
Allen succeeded Petraeus as the top American commander in Afghanistan in July 2011, and his nomination to become the next commander of U.S. European Command and the commander of NATO forces in Europe has now been put on hold, as the scandal seemed certain to ensnare another acclaimed military figure.
In a White House statement early Tuesday, National Security spokesman Tommy Vietor said President Barack Obama has held Allen's nomination at Panetta's request.
But still, we are sure he has no bias here whatsoever and owes nothing to the adminstration for not being 'Petraeus'd'.