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An Election Day role for National Guard? Maybe, but limited

If any element of the military were to get involved, it would likely be the National Guard under state control. These citizen soldiers could help state or local law enforcement with any major election-related violence. But the Guard’s more likely roles will be less visible — filling in as poll workers, out of uniform, and providing cybersecurity expertise in monitoring potential intrusions into election systems.

WHAT MIGHT THE GUARD DO?

Governors could activate the Guard to help with security in the event of violence. That happened this week in Pennsylvania amid demonstrations over the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. in Philadelphia. The mayor’s office said the city requested that the Pennsylvania National Guard help with the current situation and election preparation.”

In some states, Guard members in civilian clothes were used as poll workers during primary elections because of shortages caused by the pandemic. The Guard in New Jersey is helping with balloting now, and other states including Wisconsin say they may use the Guard at the polls.

In preparation for any emergencies, including civil unrest surrounding the election, the National Guard has already designated military police units in two states to serve as rapid-reaction forces. According to the Guard, about 600 troops — 300 in both Alabama and Arizona — will be ready to deploy within 24 hours if requested by a governor in another state. National Guard leaders have bought additional protective equipment and have increased troop training on proper procedures during protests.

COULD TRUMP FEDERALIZE THE GUARD?

Federal law permits a president to federalize the Guard under very limited circumstances, including when he is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.” This language may be open to interpretation, but in the context of next week’s election, it appears to allow federalization only if there is a fundamental breakdown in state and local officials' ability to conduct voting and vote counting.

If the president federalizes Guard troops, they are then under his control, not the governor’s. And the president can order them into a state without the governor’s permission.

WHAT ABOUT THE ACTIVE-DUTY MILITARY?

Senior military and defense leaders have said repeatedly that they believe there is no role for America’s active-duty troops in an election.

Legal experts say two laws expressly forbid the use of active-duty or federalized National Guard troops at the polls. Banks said one law criminalizes the use of military at the polls unless it is “necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” A second law prohibits any voting interference or intimidation at the polls by armed forces.

Under the Posse Comitatus Act, active-duty troops cannot be used for civil law enforcement. A president can, in extreme cases, invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act to use the military for law enforcement. If Trump were to invoke the Insurrection Act in a situation short of an extreme emergency, he might face resistance from Pentagon leaders and could also face a swift court challenge.

During civil unrest in June, Trump considered invoking that act to use active-duty troops for law enforcement. Military leaders were opposed; it never happened.

Dycus said theInsurrection Actcan be used only if civil law enforcement can’t handle the problem. And Banks said the president would first have to issue a proclamation calling for the violence to stop.

WHAT ARE STATES PLANNING?

Many states say they have no plans to activate their Guard for election duties, while a few have already done so. Army Brig. Gen. Robyn Blader, an assistant adjutant general with the Wisconsin National Guard, said Wednesday that state officials had made no decision on whether to use Guard members as poll workers, which they did in three elections this year because of COVID-19 problems.

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militarytimes.com

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An Election Day role for National Guard? Maybe, but limited

Maj. Gen. Daryl L. Bohac, who as Nebraska’s adjutant general is the head of its National Guard, told reporters his state sees no prospect of Guard forces being federalized during the election. He said governors are already considering contingencies, “and they would be the focal point for any use of National Guard for any civil unrest or disturbance following the election.”

In Delaware and Washington state, Guard members will provide election-related cybersecurity assistance. In Tennessee, the Guard is opening drill facilities in rural areas for use as polling stations, but the Guard will play no direct role.

And in Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine says he’ll do what’s needed.

“I will not hesitate if a mayor requests that help,” he said, adding that if law enforcement asks for help, “we’ll have that discussion, and then we can certainly deploy the National Guard. We hope that that’s not necessary.”

militarytimes.com

wnd.com 11/1/20

Leaked Zoom calls: Federal workers conspiring to shut down White House in contested election

Dozens of leaked internal documents and Zoom call video footage were made public Sunday describing plans by progressive activists and federal workers to disrupt and destabilize the outcome of Tuesday's presidential election, including plans to "shut down the White House."

"It's a coup. Don't let anyone tell you it's not," a woman states during one Zoom session.

The videos and documents, which reportedly have been handed over to law enforcement, were posted on two websites, SunriseExposed.com as well as ExposeSunrise.com, both of which promised to be regularly updated with additional content during the next 48 hours as Election Day approaches.

The information was leaked by a disaffected insider of the "Sunrise Movement," part of a loose but extremely coordinated network of left-leaning activists mobilizing across the U.S. in an effort to ferment chaos in the wake of a potential Trump victory or a contested election.

The videos and documents discuss a well-coordinated plan to shut down federal buildings (including the White House), public transportation portals, and disrupt Congress when it returns post-election. Sunrise is an umbrella movement comprised of 400 "hubs" and hundreds of affinity groups including 350.org and Extinction Rebellion.

At one point during a Zoom call that highlighted the role of the militant group "Shut Down DC," a spokesman states:

"We have been in discussion for a couple of months about how to respond to different contested election scenarios. The first step is we think we need to start the post-election phase in the streets, so we invite everyone to come to BLM (Black Lives Matter) Plaza any time after 4:00 on election night. On the 5th, we're going to shut down the White House. On the 6th, we're going to shut down larger parts of D.C., and then the following week, all the mainstream groups are going to come to D.C. and try to have a march on the 7th."

Is there another coup in the works to oust President Trump?

The network of progressives has enlisted several key players including Lisa Fithian, a long-time organizer and trainer including stints with Occupy Wall Street and various unions. In the video describing tools and tactics to shut down the nation's capital, she states:

"Is there going to be a war? Are people going to get killed? Like, is that on anybody else's mind? I'm guessing it is. We'e gonna see potential fighting all over the county or in some hotspots."

"Whoever's got the guns can win – let's take over the buildings! We are going to be in a crisis but we want it to be one that we are creating. We want to make sure that we are on the offense and not the defense. We want them to be responding to us and not us responding to them."

For Election Night itself, Sunrise advisers are telling its members:

"Originally we had encouraged hubs to do actions at the polls or counting centers on election night. If you're still planning on doing this, check out this guide for more info. We are discouraging hubs in swing states from election night actions because of the risk of negatively polarizing against us and causing backlash. In other places, it could still make sense to do an election night action, but we encourage you to think carefully about the tone and location of the action to avoid the right wing or media portraying us as interfering with vote counting."

"As Sunrise, our role in this moment is to set the narrative tone early. When we mobilize early, we get the first say in the narrative and tone of the post-election period. We know that Trump, his base, and the rest of the GOP want to disrupt the ballot counting process. We will send a message to the public and the GOP that young people are calling for every vote to be counted and are committed to maintaining our democracy. If the public sees youth standing up for a fair count in a disciplined way, anyone who tries to intervene in the process will be considered a bad actor."

On Friday, journalist Millie Weaver was among the first to sound the alarm about the scheme to shut down the White House and disrupt the government, tweeting excerpts of the videos, and noting:

"Leftist protest groups plot election day coup aided by the Democrat Party, Federal employees & Intelligence contractors. - They plan to shut down & take over Washington D.C. starting Nov. 4th until inauguration day to force Trump out of the White House."

Sunrise Election Action Guide (screenshot)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C4y1SEIMqs6XVCihOx-EpnzECxFPa5HUv-lmGTmVNtM/edit

https://twitter.com/UnrollHelper/status/1323312822051315712?s=20

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Leaked Zoom calls: Federal workers conspiring to shut down White House in contested election

https://www.sunriseexposed.com/

ExposeSunrise.com