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Voltaire2

(12,626 posts)
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 04:49 PM Jul 2018

Do our intelligence services have a contingency plan for a treasonous president?

Haven't they spent the last 60 years developing contingency plans for every possible scenario they could imagine?
Certainly this one, where the elected president is an agent of a hostile foreign power, has to be in their files, right?

"We'd all love to see the plan"

Like soon. Like WTF?

35 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Do our intelligence services have a contingency plan for a treasonous president? (Original Post) Voltaire2 Jul 2018 OP
Not sharing is caring. NT mahatmakanejeeves Jul 2018 #1
You can be sure they do. n/t LuckyCharms Jul 2018 #2
The three branches of government are our only contingency plan. fleur-de-lisa Jul 2018 #3
Nah. The legislature is unable or unwilling and Voltaire2 Jul 2018 #11
What kind of contingency plan should they have? NCTraveler Jul 2018 #4
Well I would think some sort of forced removal Voltaire2 Jul 2018 #9
If you are calling for a coup, you're a worse enemy than Trump. n/t PoliticAverse Jul 2018 #14
Thanks. I keep saying that, but a small group of determined posters is really keen on the idea... Hekate Jul 2018 #18
So hypothetically an asset of a hostile foreign government Voltaire2 Jul 2018 #19
Gazing out upon world history, I see no examples of coup d'etats that "restored" democracy. Hekate Jul 2018 #22
Sure. Portugal 1974. Voltaire2 Jul 2018 #23
The initial coup was followed by 2 more coups before there was eventually elections in Portugal. PoliticAverse Jul 2018 #27
So basically you will re-adjust the requirements as needed. Voltaire2 Jul 2018 #28
I'm pretty sure we'll be having elections in November, there's no dictatorship here to overthrow. PoliticAverse Jul 2018 #29
How did the US's intelligence services taking "actions" to intervene in other countries governments PoliticAverse Jul 2018 #24
I would strongly opposed forced removal by the intelligence agencies. NCTraveler Jul 2018 #35
How about making the evidence public? tinrobot Jul 2018 #30
+1 nt NCTraveler Jul 2018 #33
You better believe. No way in hell they're going to work Thrill Jul 2018 #5
Yup. (n/t) FreepFryer Jul 2018 #6
IF we survive Comrade Trump, you can be sure there will be many, many new contingency plans unitedwethrive Jul 2018 #7
They did foresee the possibility marybourg Jul 2018 #12
Well, the public was smart enough not to elect the bad apple. Zing Zing Zingbah Jul 2018 #15
Couldn't agree more! unitedwethrive Jul 2018 #31
During the 9/11 crisis empedocles Jul 2018 #8
i prefer to think the silence about the plan is part of the plan 0rganism Jul 2018 #10
Leak the details of the "treason" to the Internet? n/t PoliticAverse Jul 2018 #13
Doesn't look like it... All we have are "norms" ecstatic Jul 2018 #16
All we have is the US Constitution with three co-equal branches of government... Hekate Jul 2018 #17
One branch? How about three? Voltaire2 Jul 2018 #20
What do you expect the Executive Branch to do about the Executive? That's the POTUS, you know.... Hekate Jul 2018 #21
It is pretty clear the Republican Party is ok with fascism. Voltaire2 Jul 2018 #25
Jill Wine-Banjs just now on MSNBC Zoonart Jul 2018 #26
We'll, someone may have come up with a "Manchurian Candidate" plan. haele Jul 2018 #32
I bet they fucking will TOMORROW. Volaris Jul 2018 #34

fleur-de-lisa

(14,615 posts)
3. The three branches of government are our only contingency plan.
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 04:55 PM
Jul 2018

The Founders never imagined two of the three would be corrupt.

Luckily, our allies across the globe have been on this from day one. There are volumes upon volumes of evidence against the traitors. As that evidence is made public, the republicans who haven't committed treason will start to turn away from Trump.

Do not despair. We got this. It will be painful and ugly, but the Repulbic will stand.

Voltaire2

(12,626 posts)
11. Nah. The legislature is unable or unwilling and
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 05:25 PM
Jul 2018

the judicial branch is in the same boat. That leaves Mueller out there as the only executive branch functionary doing anything.

This is outside our constitutional parameters if congress and the courts refuse to act.

It isn’t clear that the republic will stand. That’s the point.

Voltaire2

(12,626 posts)
9. Well I would think some sort of forced removal
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 05:14 PM
Jul 2018

would be one option, but I can think of many possible scenarios. What if don’t see is any evidence that anything is being done.

Hekate

(90,202 posts)
18. Thanks. I keep saying that, but a small group of determined posters is really keen on the idea...
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 07:43 PM
Jul 2018

One fellow was pretty explicit about his desire for a military coup, and his OP survived several alerts. He got a lot of replies -- many of us fought back, but there was a cozy cell of folks in agreement.

See you on the hustings.

Voltaire2

(12,626 posts)
19. So hypothetically an asset of a hostile foreign government
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 07:57 PM
Jul 2018

has gained control of all three branches of our government and appears to be actively engaged in the destruction of the liberal democratic institutions that our constitution established, all as part of a plot to establish a fascist world order lead by this foreign government. In such a hypothetical situation it would be wrong for the military or the intelligence services to take extra constitutional actions to restore the republic?

Hekate

(90,202 posts)
22. Gazing out upon world history, I see no examples of coup d'etats that "restored" democracy.
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 08:10 PM
Jul 2018

Do you?

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)
27. The initial coup was followed by 2 more coups before there was eventually elections in Portugal.
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 08:31 PM
Jul 2018

Also they overthrew a regime that was essentially a one-party state for 40 years.

Voltaire2

(12,626 posts)
28. So basically you will re-adjust the requirements as needed.
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 09:00 PM
Jul 2018

There is also the now failed efforts of the Turkish military to protect their secular republic from various efforts to destroy it from 1922 until the collapse under erdogan

1990 Paraguay. The military overthrew the Stroessner dictatorship and restored the constitutional government.

Mali 1991.


PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)
29. I'm pretty sure we'll be having elections in November, there's no dictatorship here to overthrow.
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 09:03 PM
Jul 2018

Trump couldn't even get "Obamacare" repealed.

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)
24. How did the US's intelligence services taking "actions" to intervene in other countries governments
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 08:19 PM
Jul 2018

work out?

If intelligence agencies have some bombshell info (recordings?) they could just release in to the Internet.

Also when in this hypothetical did a foreign government gain control over the Judicial branch (which keeps slapping
the Trump administration down)?




Thrill

(19,178 posts)
5. You better believe. No way in hell they're going to work
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 04:58 PM
Jul 2018

With Russia on cyber security. No matter what this dumbass President says

unitedwethrive

(1,997 posts)
7. IF we survive Comrade Trump, you can be sure there will be many, many new contingency plans
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 05:00 PM
Jul 2018

The problem with the way our Democracy was set up...they didn't foresee a traitorous candidate in combination with tampering of the electoral system. The founders figured that the public would be smart enough not to elect a bad apple, but they didn't see that there could be factors beyond the control of Democracy.

marybourg

(12,540 posts)
12. They did foresee the possibility
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 05:46 PM
Jul 2018

of a treasonous candidate. It was an era where treason was front and center. And they certainly didn’t trust the public to sniff one out. What they did was to set up the Electoral College, consisting of the educated, politically-involved elite, to whom they entrusted the job of rejecting an unfit candidate. We all know how that worked out.

Zing Zing Zingbah

(6,496 posts)
15. Well, the public was smart enough not to elect the bad apple.
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 06:49 PM
Jul 2018

Everyone knows Hillary would have won if the election was decided by popular vote. Instead, the electors in the electoral college put Trump in power. Those electors were corrupt. The problem is the founders figured the public would NOT be smart enough to avoid electing a bad apple, but we are at a point now where the majority is educated and they can make decent decisions. The power to directly elect the president should be given to the people.

empedocles

(15,751 posts)
8. During the 9/11 crisis
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 05:06 PM
Jul 2018

Military sent navy warplanes out to sea, to frustrate draft dodger Cheney's rabid, crazed orders.

Hekate

(90,202 posts)
17. All we have is the US Constitution with three co-equal branches of government...
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 07:38 PM
Jul 2018

So that's the contingency plan. Now, if one branch has been subject to a decades-long plan to be overtaken by Tea Partiers who have absolutely no clue about how government actually works (sorry: citizen politicians who have no clue) ... That is a problem, when what you desperately need is to have the House and Senate do their jobs.

Hekate

(90,202 posts)
21. What do you expect the Executive Branch to do about the Executive? That's the POTUS, you know....
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 08:08 PM
Jul 2018

The House and Senate are the Legislative Branch. They are in constitutionally equal to the Executive, not his errand boys and lapdogs. They are in charge of impeachment, should they choose. There is currently a corrupt GOP majority in both Houses, hence my comment about them.

And so it goes. Unless at least a few Republicans wake up very soon, we are left with hoping for that Blue Wave in November. But even there, right now Stalin's ghost is counting our votes.

Voltaire2

(12,626 posts)
25. It is pretty clear the Republican Party is ok with fascism.
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 08:23 PM
Jul 2018

They aren’t going to “wake up”. They are on board with the fascist new world order. The legislature and the courts are not going to do anything.

haele

(12,581 posts)
32. We'll, someone may have come up with a "Manchurian Candidate" plan.
Mon Jul 16, 2018, 10:13 PM
Jul 2018

Way back in the Cold War when there was a Commie under every bed, and the radical left was being demonized regularly among the intelligence community.
Who knows if it was any sort to effective plan - and if there are enough high level IC people that are willing to risk their post government careers to save the Country for not only "normal citizens", but the deplorables, single issue radicals, and the generally apathetic majority who don't care to understand what's going on.

Haele

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