Trump comes under fire for his 'Blackwater on the Potomac' private security detail as critics compare them to notorious security contractor which operated after Iraq war
- Professor says Trump's use of private security detail could raise legal issues
- Jon D Michaels wrote that Trump is sending message: 'We should not trust feds'
- Trump's undermining of Secret Service is an apparent war against Washington
- Michaels added that no one can 'protect a president' like the Secret Service does
- He warned that 'there is much at stake when it comes to tolerating such a detail'
President-elect Donald Trump has come under fire for using his 'Blackwater on the Potomac' security detail, as critics compare them to the notorious security contractor, which operated after the Iraq War.
Earlier, this month it was reported that Trump continuously employed a private security and intelligence team at his rallies, and plans to keep those members on after he becomes president, according to Politico.
But undermining the Secret Service seems to be another battle in Trump's apparent war against Washington as he prepares to take office on January 20.
President-elect Donald Trump has come under fire after his apparent decision to use a private security detail instead of the Secret Service
Earlier, this month it was reported that Trump continuously employed a private security and intelligence team at his rallies and plans to keep those members (pictured) on after he becomes president
In an article written by UCLA law professor, Jon D Michaels, that was published by CNN, Michaels wrote that with 'Trump's anti-government rhetoric, and his apparent comfort with commingling state and commercial power the last thing we need is a Blackwater on the Potomac'.
'His message is clear: We should not trust the feds,' Michaels added.
Trump's refusal to stop using his own private guards while in office could raise some legal issues.
But undermining the Secret Service seems to be another battle in Trump's apparent war against Washington. UCLA professor John Michaels wrote that if Trump ends up having private security (pictured) while in office, it could raise legal issues
Michaels notes that the US Secret Service is the 'best of the best' with a 'longstanding relationship of professional excellence'.
And, he writes, 'when it comes to protecting a president, there's just no way private security guards can bring to the table what the Secret Service does'.
'A private security detail paid for by, I suppose, the Trump Organization, the President-Elect himself, or some wealthy donors' is a problem, Michaels wrote, because 'Congress appropriates funds to the Executive branch with the expectation that those will be the only funds spent'.
One of the provisions of the Anti-Deficiency Act is to 'prohibit government officials from drawing on alternative funding sources to support an unauthorized supplemental workforce', he wrote.
And if someone goes around the Anti-Deficiency Act Congress could lose 'control over the shape, reach, and complexion of government'.
'There is much at stake when it comes to tolerating such a detail,' Michaels wrote.
He said the reluctant acceptance of this detail 'signals a willingness to credit arguments that an elite federal institution such as the Secret Service is unreliable'.
And that armed contractors 'acting somewhat under the color of state law are acceptable'.
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