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Pentagon officials cheered Tuesday in a political statement from President Donald Trump at a rally in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, saying the troops that jealed did not violate military regulations, but the former military justice officer did just that.
During the speech, uniformed soldiers cried out in support of Trump’s political statements, booing former President Joe Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Do you think this crowd appeared for Biden? I don’t think so,” Trump told Boo about Biden.
Trump made other comments about Newsom and Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, where protests against the administration’s crackdown on immigration, were taking place. Other Trump also commented on “fake news media,” transgender people, California protesters and flag-style ceremonies.
Trump is known for his rally, where he enjoys his chase and political enemies and other issues, but he usually makes those statements at political events rather than at US military bases.
Such obvious political activity at the base is the privilege of the commander. However, military leaders usually frown at the army that reacted in a way that contradicts military order and discipline, and according to one expert, it is a violation of military regulations found in the Uniform Act of Military Justice or the UCMJ.
The presidents of both parties often used the military as political props and in doing so put them and their commanders in a difficult position, but Trump’s speech took it to a new level, said Jeffrey Dews, the retired judge’s advocate general who is a lawyer for Mark S. Zaid PC. (Zaid represents whistleblowers on both sides of the aisle, including those who complained about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump’s call that led to President Trump and Trump’s bounce each, and he was one of those Trump removed this year.)
“Using the military as a background for political purposes is a sad tradition,” Dews said. “To actively attack another president or sitting governor and incite the crowd to boo, it’s a step in a dangerous direction, and it really says we want to politicize the army, and that sends a bad message.”
Dews said there was a high possibility that UCMJ had been breached.
“If I were a senior executive, if it happened under my watch, I would be nagging,” he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses has repeatedly said he wants to remove politics from the military by removing diversity, equity and inclusion programs and banning services by trans service members.
Koli Sheikh, a senior fellow at the American Institute of Corporate Research, who worked for the State Department and the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush, worked for the Pentagon under former President George H.W. Bush, but in an email he said that Fort Bragg’s commander should do a better job preparing his troops there.
“That’s terrible,” she wrote. “It is predictable for the President to try to score political points in the military environment, and it is a failure of the order by the FT Bragg leaders to not advise soldiers not to participate and prepare them for that bad behavior.”
In a statement, the Pentagon said it had not violated the UCMJ, suggesting that the media is opposed to the policies Trump has defended.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also alleged that the media “supported the Biden administration” and that its Pentagon policies “when forced drag queen performances at military bases, it violated federal law and fired the troops that rejected experimental vaccines.”
“You don’t need to trust me and be encouraged to boo the media,” Parnell said. “Look for more than this query. This is nothing more than a dishonorable attempt to ruin the lives of young soldiers.”
On Wednesday, Fort Bragg Army officials worked to sell their Magazine products at the event. This was planned in collaboration with the nonpartisan organization, American 250.
“The Army remains committed to core values and non-political service to its citizens,” Colonel Mary Ricks, a spokesman for the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps, Bragg, said in a statement. “The Army does not support the political products or the views it represents. The presence of vendors is under review to determine how it was allowed and to prevent similar circumstances in the future.”
The Army’s new field manual, which was recently released, says that the non-political nature of being a US soldier contributes to public trust.
The Army “must be independent as a facility, and so should,” says a new field manual, “Army: An Introduction to Our Arms Professionals.”
“Being nonpartisan means not supporting a particular party or group. Nonpartisans ensure that our military will always serve our constitution and our people faithfully and reactively.”
The US military can participate in political functions, but not when they are on duty or wearing uniforms, the book says.
“As a civilian, you are encouraged to participate in our democratic processes, but as a soldier, you must be aware of how your actions affect the credibility of our military.”
Several military vehicles used in the Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade were performed in Washington, DC
This story first appeared on nbcnews.com. More from NBC News:
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