In what appears to be a constitutional crisis unseen since the US civil war, mobs supporting the continuation of the Trump presidency have vandalized the Capitol building and forced members of the government to hide in their offices. Late Wednesday, Trump issued an appeal to his supporters to go home. Congress later confirmed Joe Biden as president. Trump maintains he defeated Biden and won the election. There is widespread bipartisan opposition to this belief. The ten living former secretaries of defense representing both Republican and Democratic governments have published a letter telling Trump to stand down. They warned military officers that their allegiance was to the constitution, not the president. Vice President Pence has said that his only constitutional option is to approve the Electoral College decision to make Biden president. A republic, if you can keep it.
