 "From antifa to secret lists: Trump’s terror memo sparks alarm over summary executions")
US President Donald Trump extended his executive order yet again after he ordered the summary executions of individuals he deems members of designated terrorist organisations. A report by The Intercept revealed how Trump is also testing the limits of his presidential powers by creating a secret list of domestic terrorist organisations.
As per the report, the American leader is taking all these measures under the National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, or NSPM-7. The move now raises questions of whether Americans that the federal government deems to be members of domestic terrorist organisations are subject to extrajudicial killings.
In light of this, lawmakers told The Intercept that the Trump administration’s silence on the matter has become worrisome. The matter has become more concerning with Trump himself making ever more unhinged threats to imprison or execute his political adversaries.
“The Trump Administration is trying to justify blowing small boats out of the water by arbitrarily calling them ‘designated terrorist organisations’ — a label not grounded in U.S. statute nor international law, but in solely what Trump says,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told The Intercept.
“If Trump is using this justification to use military force on any individuals he chooses — without verified evidence or legal authorisation — what’s stopping him from designating anyone within our own borders in a similar fashion and conducting lethal, militarised attacks against them? This illegal and dangerous misuse of lethal force should worry all Americans, and it can’t be accepted as normal," he added.
The recent cases raise concern
Recently, the US military has carried out 22 known attacks in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least 87 civilians. Last week, footage of the September 2 double-tap strike shown to select members of Congress ignited a firestorm. While Trump initially said on camera that he had “no problem” with releasing the video of the attack. This week, he denied ever saying it.
However, the Trump administration has been silent on whether designated domestic terror groups like Antifa would face a similar fate. “The Trump administration should answer all questions about the terrorist lists,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told The Intercept. “The American people have a right to answers about who is on them and what that means for all of us.”
Quick Reads
View AllFor decades, Trump has called for violence against — including executions of — those he dislikes. His enemy list included a group of Black and Latino boys who were wrongly accused of raping a white woman jogger in New York’s Central Park in 1989; immigrants at the southern border, those who carry out hate crimes and mass shootings; demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd, etc.
In August this year, Trump also called for “Capital capital punishment,” explaining: “If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, we’re going to be seeking the death penalty.” Hence, it remains unclear how Trump would deal with his newfound executive power.
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