“He intends to use SEAL Team Six” Trump’s Alarming Plan to Silence Critics Sparks Outrage

Michael Cohen, the former lawyer of Donald Trump, has ignited a firestorm of controversy by alleging that the former president intends to use the elite military unit SEAL Team Six to silence his critics, sparking widespread outrage and fears of authoritarian overreach.

According to a report by Newsweek on Saturday, June 8, 2024, in a startling interview on MSNBC’s Velshi with host Ali Velshi, Cohen, a key witness in Trump’s recent conviction for falsifying business records, issued a chilling warning about the potential consequences of a second Trump presidency.

“He’s already said he intends to use SEAL Team Six to start rounding up his political enemies, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m somewhere at the top of that list,” Cohen declared, sending shockwaves through the political landscape.

Cohen’s explosive claim has fueled concerns that Trump if re-elected, may seek to weaponize the military’s most elite forces against his perceived adversaries, a move that would represent an unprecedented assault on democratic norms and civil liberties.

The former Trump confidant did not mince words, asserting that the list of potential targets extends far beyond himself, encompassing a wide range of prominent figures, including MSNBC’s president, retired U.S. Army General Mark Milley, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the entire Biden family.

“I don’t think that you’re [Velshi] not at the top of that list, but you’re certainly on that list as well as the president of MSNBC, [retired U.S. Army] General Mark Milley, [former Vice President] Mike Pence, [former Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton, the entire Biden family,” Cohen warned.

In a scathing rebuke, Cohen condemned the mere consideration of Trump as the Republican nominee, declaring, “This is not a joke, and the fact that he is even considered to be the Republican nominee, one of our two political parties, is so offensive. It should be so offensive to everyone in this country.”

While Trump has consistently criticized the Department of Justice (DOJ) amid his legal woes, his intentions regarding the use of federal agencies and military forces against political opponents remain shrouded in ambiguity. When asked if he would use the DOJ to go after political opponents, Trump told Fox News’ Fox & Friends last week, “I’m not sure I can answer the question.”

However, in a separate interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump rejected the notion that he seeks retribution against his political enemies, while simultaneously asserting his perceived right to do so. “Number one, they’re wrong. It has to stop because otherwise, we’re not going to have a country. Look, when this election is over, based on what they’ve done, I would have every right to go after them,” Trump stated, leaving the door open to potential retaliation.

Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s spokesperson for comment on Cohen’s allegations but has yet to receive a response. SEAL Team Six, officially known as the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), is one of the most elite and highly trained units within the U.S. military, operating under the Joint Special Operations Command.

Created in 1980 in response to the failed Iranian hostage rescue mission, Operation Eagle Claw, SEAL Team Six has gained notoriety for its involvement in high-profile missions, most notably the operation that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011. While the unit’s exact structure and operations remain classified, it is designed to carry out a wide range of specialized missions with surgical precision and utmost secrecy.

Cohen’s remarks come in the wake of a controversial suggestion by Trump’s legal team during the former president’s presidential immunity claims before the U.S. Supreme Court in his federal election subversion case. In January, Trump’s lawyers argued that even if a president ordered SEAL Team Six to kill a political opponent, their actions would still be covered by presidential legal immunity, unless the president was also impeached and convicted by Congress.

This alarming proposition has only added fuel to the firestorm surrounding Cohen’s allegations, raising grave concerns about the potential abuse of power and the erosion of democratic safeguards. Compounding these fears is the warning from former Trump official Miles Taylor, who cautioned that if Trump regains the presidency, he is likely to surround himself with a cabinet comprised of individuals willing to go to extraordinary lengths to carry out his agenda.

In an April interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Taylor predicted, “Donald Trump realized very late in his first term that he had far too many people who went to bed and grew a conscience every night and came back in with little inklings of a conscience to say no and push back.”

“He doesn’t want those people around. His preference is for the Oval Office to be an echo chamber. That’s what he wants, and it’s what he’ll get,” Taylor added, painting a disturbing picture of a potential Trump administration devoid of dissenting voices or checks on executive power.