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What If the President Is a Threat to National Security?

By Jacob G. Hornberger | FFF | October 2, 2019

Last January, the Washington Post carried an interesting article by a person named Asha Rangappa, who is a former FBI agent. The article explored what would happen if a U.S. president became a threat to national security. She wrote her article in the context of suspicions that President Trump might be acting as a covert agent for Russia. She began her article as follows:

In the opening sentence of her article, she pointed out, “When President Trump fired then-FBI Director James B. Comey in 2017, the bureau opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether Trump was secretly working on behalf of Russia. As a former FBI agent who conducted investigations against foreign intelligence services, I know that the bureau would have had to possess strong evidence that Trump posed a national security threat to meet the threshold for opening such an investigation.”

Rangappa pointed out that the FBI has methods that address a suspected threat to national security within the federal bureaucracy, such as cutting off a person’s access to secret information. But she observed, “Unfortunately, none of these are feasible options if the national security threat is the president of the United States.”

She concludes that the only feasible option for a president who becomes a threat to national security is “exposure,” followed by impeachment, conviction, and removal from office.

While Rangappa raises an important issue, unfortunately she fails to understand that under our system of government, there is another way to deal with a president who becomes a threat to national security. It isn’t a method that is outlined in the Constitution. Nonetheless, owing to the governmental structure under which we live, it is a de facto means of dealing with any president, both foreign and domestic, who becomes a threat to national security.

Our country was founded on a type of governmental structure called a limited-government republic. While there was a relatively small army, there was no vast military establishment, CIA, NSA, and FBI. Governmental operations were for the most part transparent. For more than 150 years, there was no concept of “national security.”

All that changed after World War II. The U.S. government was converted into a governmental structure known a “national-security state.” It consists of a gigantic, permanent, powerful, and ever-growing military-intelligence establishment. America’s national-security state is composed of the Pentagon, the vast military-industrial complex, the CIA, the NSA and, to a certain extent, the FBI.

A national-security state is a type of totalitarian governmental structure. North Korea is a national-security state. So is China. Egypt. Russia. And post-WW2 United States.

Why did U.S. officials convert the federal government to a national-security state? After World War II, they said that America now faced an enemy that was an even bigger threat than Nazi Germany. That enemy was the Soviet Union, which, ironically, had been America’s wartime partner and ally.

U.S. officials maintained that there was an international communist conspiracy based in Moscow, Russia. The aim of the conspiracy, they said, was to take over the world, including the United States.

America’s limited-government structure, they believed, was insufficient to prevent the communists from taking over America. To prevail in this new Cold War, it would be necessary, they believed, to have a governmental structure similar to that of communist regimes, one that could wield the same totalitarian-like powers wielded by communist regimes, including assassination.

The overriding principle of a national-security state is, needless to say, “national security.” The idea is that anything can and should be done to eradicate threats to national security.

But who decides what “national security” means? More important, who decides what constitutes a threat to national security? The Constitution doesn’t speak to those issues because the Constitution never called a national-security state type of governmental structure into existence.

By default and sheer force of power, the national-security branch of the federal government became the final arbiter for determining threats to national security and taking the necessary measures to eradicate them.

The assumption of such power was acceded to early on by both Congress and the Supreme Court, both of which decided that they would defer to the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA on matters relating to “national security.” These other two branches had the perfect justification for making that decision: it is the national-security branch that naturally possesses the particular expertise for ascertaining threats to national security.

Ordinarily, the president, who represents the executive branch, and the national-security branch work together to protect national security and to eradicate threats to national security. If we consider, for example, the regime-change operations in Iran, Guatemala, Cuba, and Chile in the 1960s and ’70s, we see both the executive branch and the national security branch working together to oust foreign leaders, including democratically elected presidents, from office through coup, invasion, or assassination because they were considered to be threats to U.S. national security. We also find a steadfast policy in the federal judiciary to not interfere with those operations.

But the question naturally arises, the one that Rangappa raises in her Washington Post article: What happens if the national-security branch concludes that the president himself is a threat to national security?

There is no question about the answer: Even though the Constitution doesn’t provide for it, the fact is that, as a practical matter, the national-security branch is the final arbiter of the issue. That is not only because of its particular expertise on matters relating to national security, it’s also because, as a practical matter, the other branches of the government lack the power to interfere with operations to protect national security carried out by the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA.

Rangappa raises the prospect of a president who becomes a conscious agent of a foreign power. Unfortunately, she fails to recognize another possibility: a president whose philosophy and policies take America in a direction that the national-security branch considers a threat to national security.

Suppose, for example, that a U.S. president at the height of the Cold War decided that the Cold War was a bunch of baloney. What if he decided that the national-security state type of governmental structure was itself a bigger threat to America than international communism? What if he entered into secret negotiations with the leaders of the Soviet Union and Cuba to bring an end to hostilities and to establish friendly and peaceful relations, just as the ousted leaders of Guatemala, Cuba, and Chile did?

What if the national-security branch concluded that this different direction would spell the end of the United States as an independent, sovereign, and free country? What if the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA were absolutely certain that such policies would bring about a communist takeover of the United States?

What then? Rangappa’s solution of exposure, followed by impeachment and conviction obviously wouldn’t work because the president wouldn’t be doing anything illegal that would justify impeachment and removal from office. Moreover, waiting for the next election would be too late to prevent the catastrophe. Following the Constitution by simply letting the president lead the nation into disaster would be national suicide.

What would the national-security branch do? There is no question about it. It would do what it is charged with doing. It would do what was necessary to protect national security. And the nation would be exhorted to move on.

October 2, 2019 - Posted by | Civil Liberties, Timeless or most popular | , , ,

3 Comments »

  1. Well isn’t that exactly what happened with the JFK administration? It was determined in secret by the national security apparatus that Kennedy’s administration was a national security threat, and as a result he was assassinated in favour of his VP who could be relied on to comply with the agenda and interests of the national security apparatus.

    Isn’t that what President Eisenhower’s farewell address was warning Americans about in regards to the expanding ambit and powers of the Military Industrial Security Complex?

    Similarly, under Bush II, we have the national security apparatus led by Neocons determining that public support for greatly expanded national security priorities cannot be achieved without creating a catastrophic “Pearl Harbour” situation. Which support could be enhanced by simulating and responding to a very large scale terrorist attack on the USA involving weaponized anthrax as well as the 911 attack on the Pentagon, civil aviation and civil infrastructure in Manhattan.

    The simulated (false flag) attacks and the responding national security interests effectively voided Constitutional freedoms and railroaded implementation of prior prepared legislation and protocols to prevent the roll-back of security state priorities to a limited government model such that the US would experience the continuously heightened sense of threat, alert, preparedness and precaution which was found so useful in converting a once liberal and progressive Israel into the much more strategically useful vengeance justified, warmongering, hateful and terrified Israel.

    In effect, the USA ignores its Constitutional protections in order to achieve a more war like perception of its security environment which is then continuously ratcheted upward to preclude a fall back to isolationist civil and social priorities such that a ruling class associated with national security priorities can very profitably dominate the internal US polity as well as the external US military, colonial and financial empire. m\\

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    Michael\\'s avatar Comment by Michael\\ | October 2, 2019 | Reply

  2. Draining the swamp might hurt “national security”, depending on who you were. As Americans get poorer the surveillance gets better – can’t survive in a swamp for long. Our leaders are shtting in their own house.

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    GGH's avatar Comment by GGH | October 2, 2019 | Reply

  3. First; America’s so-called “politically smart” or economic, foreign relations, legal – etc., experts are constantly lying and trying to persuade Americans, (most are convinced) that such counter-intelligence terms as: military-industrial complex; deep state; intelligence sector; invisible government; the swamp; conspiracy theory; hate speech; political correctness; holocaust denier; fake news; anti-semite and even conservative, liberal, neo-con and countless other counter-intelligence terms are actually “things of reality.” This is what happens when you leave the “barbarians INSIDE the gates” for over 350 years without interruption or intervention; an entire society based on propagating lies to the ignorant masses for the personal benefit and sadistic satisfaction of the few, and of course, the lush lifestyles and livelyhoods of the propogaters. Virtually all Americans do not know their country’s “real histories,” (and the world’s) or what their de facto / illegitimate “government” actually is, how it works, let alone, how anything else “works’ in their country or around the world. In one statement; The whole World has been given such a skewed, upside-down and twisted version(s) of their own histories, (meaning every aspect) the mass majority in America and around the World are waving their flags, cheering for their own destruction, and the destruction of humanity and everything it was thought to be, and they don’t even know it. In marxist / psychological warfare terms; they are too “idealogically subverted” and “culturally demoralized” to even care, plus they have been “programmed,” misdirected, disinformed, dumbed-down and subdued, under psychological and [presently] “electromagnetic, biological and chemical” Seige for their entire lives, that they are not even aware of the reality that is right in front of their faces. It is this way in every developed nation in the World. They all have their “propagaters” repeating their parties’ lines and twisted, and re-modified over and over again outright lies, all for the benefit of the ONE Party; “their” Masters and their Owners who also Own us. And when I say Own, I mean in every aspect and dimension. There are few of us left that can see through these “wormholes of deception” and when we’re gone, all of the Real History and Real Truth is gone. Unless the propagaters, their beneficiaries, and the “owners” are exposed for what they are in essence, and are dealt with accordingly; the “World Revolution” will soon claim victory and Humanity, what it was once thought to be, and what it is intrinsically, will cease to exist. I will further explain, as briefly as I can, and I can furnish all of the undeniable proof necessary for the Truth that I purvey, unlike the “propagaters” who rely on “manufactured terms” to hide the duplicity of themselves and ‘their’ One Party. America, first known as the USA, which has been the US INC., (short for: Corporation Company of the United States-estab. 1871) has always been “Communist” in essence and structure from the very beginning, and was created by the ‘One Party’ to achive the goals of the “World Revolution” which has had many names throughout recent and contemporary history, but it all means just one thing; complete and universal control of and domination in every facet, in every dimension of society and every living thing and natural resource in the World, (and “universe”) by the One Party. It was never and never will be a ‘democracy’ and was only ever actually a “controlled” Partially representative “portrayed” constitutional republic for a very short time. Kennedy, was one of “them,” but finally realized how bad it really is in America at that time, also knowing what his predecessors did to sell out his country all along, shortly had his “fill of it.” The “Monolithic and Ruthless Conspiracy” he spoke of, but never fully disclosed, was the actual “de facto” (so called gov’t) US INC. He, like many others before him was claimed to have enemies in every “sector” and knew that anyone in upper levels of the “corporation” that would seek to expose and try to by-pass the “One Party System” in America, would meet their demise. Along with that, signing Executive Order 11110, sealed his fate. Maybe he did have a “death wish” or else didn’t know enough history about the “freemason state” in the deep south. This I could hardly believe, being that he knew so much about what had transpired in Europe during the history of the 2 major wars and failed insurgencies of that period, and who the “Real Perpetrators” of those great disasters were, and it wasn’t the Germans or Hitler. So they made Kennedy’s demise a permanent “shock-trauma” psychological warfare event for the public and a warning to anyone else who may want to continue in his path. One of the first things Johnson had done was to eliminate executive order 11110. The counter-intelligence tactical psy-ops terms were created by the Supercriminal predecessors and “recent and current degenerates” in order for the “puppet rulers,” [in and out and back in and out of “public,” (actually “private”) office and interest groups, “think tanks” and secret and semi-secret, corporations, societies, organizations and NGO-s, (all essentially “gov.” affiliated)] to have an “indefinable entity” to blame for their High Crimes and Treason that normally contradict and/or violate purportedly existing: Ethics and Laws, (actually Corp. Statutes) and campaign promises and policies. To hide their “ordered” crimes against Humanity as a whole, and their military psy-ops, disinformation, technotronic, scientific and economic infiltrations; past and constantly on-going private and military, domestic and worldwide; biological, chemical and electromagnetic assault, and Weather Modification and Weaponization and Geophysical and Atmospheric and “near space” Engineering Programs and modification Platforms; Int’l Agreements; Economic status and operations, and everything else “under, on, and beyond the sun” that they don’t want the Mass of Mankind to know the truth about. Our totally controlled public and private worldwide media has made the Traitors and Villains, the heroes, and anyone who dissents or speaks the truth on any subject, the villain, or “crackpot” and also; too “left or too right” when such a “thing” never actually existed. These counter-intelligence terms are also, used to discredit and reduce the credibility of the source of truth, stifle discussion on any, “invented or alleged” or actual controversial issue, to reduce and/or restrict “free” speech and of course for “thought control,” disinformation, misinformation and misdirectional and distractional purposes. The Whole World-Wide Controlled Media in all Forms, 96-97% of all forms of media (text-schoolbooks, radio and tv, newspapers and magazines, internet and other important and/or irrelevent material) is basically a 24/7/365 psychological operations platform sponsored and provided by and for the “one party.” Americans have “dropped the ball” from the very beginning, first because there was little education or any truth in historical and political matters given, and for al long time and up to now, the same, plus they have been “programmed” and deliberately “dumbed-down” to be just the way they are; ignorant in every aspect of the reality they actually live in. I think it’s hilarious that some of the “new” people in of the “corporation” don’t know the basic structure of their “one-party system” or how the REAL de facto and Bankrupt, Foreign, Privately Owned and Controlled Communist Corporate Franchise System, (US INC and it’s well-over 600 Subsidiary Corporations) or what “criminal-traitors” that makes them or moreover, what they really are. However, most of the One Party “agents” do know what they really are, and this makes them not only paranoid, but also extremely dangerous, and above or below all that, depending on your perspective, are really incessant liars and lousy actors, most concerned with carrying out the orders of the “one party,” and their own personal gain and comfort at the expense of the public. What is even more sickening is hearing people blame this or that party, person or administration, when they have been continuously “sold-out” from the beginning and to this day, by the “One Party.” Even a short, partial review of the “official records” will prove this self-evident Fact. But nobody’s interested in truth anymore, but they will soon find out when the “boot of totalitarianism” comes crushing down on their skulls. I been watching and studying every aspect and facet of Real American and World History for over 45 years and I hope I just live long enough to see that Americans finally get what they deserve, because this was never the “land of the free and the home of the brave,” only the land of the deceived and the home of the corrupt. I don’t put total blame on the masses, because they have been deceived and “programmed,” but do put the bulk of blame on the “Party” for contriving and purveying the “Greatest Perpetual Universal Lie(s) in Recorded History” what is basically, the US INC ., a long-time World-Communism Supporter and “One Party, Privately Foreign Owned and Controlled and continuously Bankrupt Communist Corporate Franchise System.”

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    Wildman 100%'s avatar Comment by Wildman 100% | October 3, 2019 | Reply


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