Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

~Posse Comitatus Act of 1878

I think the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical-left lunatics.  And it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by [the] National Guard or, if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.

~Donald J. Trump/Fox News, October 13, 2024

I start today’s blog with the above quotes for context.  The first, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, states, “In practice, this means that members of the military may not participate in civilian law enforcement unless doing so is expressly authorized by a statute or the Constitution.”  The second is Trump’s exact words during an interview on “Fox News Futures with Maria Bartiromo.” And though Trump and his surrogates try to “sanewash” this clear violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, claiming he was referring to illegal immigrants already in the country, Trump debunks his own argument by citing Congressman Adam Schiff and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi among these bad, sick people who make up “the enemy within.”

To be sure, there ARE enemies within, determined to gaslight Americans and undermine the institutions that ensure domestic tranquility.  Except they are the same people who accuse others of doing just that.  And they were on full display over the past four days.

First, public officials who once warned us of the dangers Donald Trump represents, but since hooking their political stars to the former president, cower at every chance to stand up and say, “We told you so.”  As Joe Scarborough pointed out on social media, the facts never keep Trump surrogates from making fools of themselves.  He summarized Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s effort, during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, to excuse Trump’s threat of turning the military on American citizens, as follows.

The Trump Apologist’s Playbook
Apologist: “He didn’t say it.”
Reporter: Here’s the quote.
Apologist: “I didn’t hear it.”
Reporter:  Here’s the quote.
Apologist:  “He doesn’t mean it.”

However, the award for “sycophant of the week” goes to Brett Baier and Fox News.  During a 30-minute interview with the Democratic nominee, the once reputable  journalist tried to bait Vice President Kamala Harris by asking her to refute one after another of Trump talking points.  At one point, he even showed the Trump television ad about transgender affirming treatment for incarcerated individuals, to which she reminded her host, she was simply following the law, which Trump also did when he was in office.  Although Baier tried again and again to get her to lose her cool, she refused to take the bait.  When senior campaign advisor David Plouffe was asked how he would describe her performance, he gave a one-word answer, “Presidential.”

However, the cherry on top of the sundae came when the discussion turned to Trump’s comments about “the enemy within.”  As I watched that exchange, I harkened back to the accompanying picture used to explain how Richard Nixon’s executive secretary Rosemary Woods “accidently” erased 18 minutes of Oval Office tapes just as the then president was about to instruct his chief of staff to commit a crime.  That is when Baier and Fox News initiated a game of “Can You Top That,” which they did.  

After introducing the topic by reminding Harris (as if she needed it) that she had told rally audiences that Trump threatened to use the military against his political opponents, Baier showed an edited clip from a Fox News town hall in which the moderator, Harris Faulkner, host of the network’s “The Faulkner Focus,” asked Trump about his “enemy within” comments.  The screened version contained only references to illegal immigrants, and according to DEADLINE.COM, included “Trump laughing off his ‘enemy within’ statements and accusing the Democrats of weaponizing the government against their political enemies.”  

Let’s be clear.  Imagine Trump was on trial (not that hard to imagine) for violating the Posse Comitatus Act.  Ignoring the direct evidence (i.e. video of the defendant making the threat), the defense lawyer presents an interview in which the witness says (per Joe Scarborough), “He didn’t say that and, if he did, I didn’t hear him say it, and what’s more, he didn’t really mean it.”  But Harris, the forever prosecutor, was prepared.

Bret, I’m sorry, and with all due respect, that clip was not what he has been saying about the enemy within that he has repeated when he is speaking about the American people.  That’s not what you just showed.

Do Fox News producers honestly believe that if you edit one copy of a video, every other copy is likewise modified?

The banner headline on this morning’s Drudge Report says it all.  “CAT EATS FOX”  The only question left is whether those who believe Harris’ interviewer is in a different class from Fox News‘ nighttime hosts, an objective journalist instead of a MAGA cheerleader, are asking, “Et tu, Brett Baier?”

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP