“Vesting one person with this authority entails real risks,” a letter from Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) said. “Past presidents have threatened to attack other countries with nuclear weapons or exhibited behavior that caused other officials to express concern about the president’s judgment.
“While any president would presumably consult with advisors before ordering a nuclear attack, there is no requirement to do so. The military is obligated to carry out the order if they assess it is legal under the laws of war. Under the current posture of U.S. nuclear forces, that attack would happen in minutes.”
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Panetta made a similar statement on Twitter on Feb. 22, saying that he is demanding the White House “to install checks & balances in our nuclear command-and-control structure.”
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“Past presidents have threatened nuclear attacks on other countries or exhibited concerning behavior that cast doubt on their judgment,” according to his tweet.
The letter was signed by Panetta and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.). Politico reported that about three dozen other Democrats also signed the letter.
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According to the memo, the lawmakers offered to require more officials, including the vice president and House speaker, to “concur with a launch order.”
They also said “requiring certifications from the secretary of defense that the launch order is valid and from the attorney general that it is legal,” and it would demand a congressional declaration of war or another specific permission push from Congress.
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In January, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asserted she spoke with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley about preserving the nuclear codes from former President Donald Trump.
Pelosi said she spoke to Milley on Jan. 5 “to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike.”
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Still, despite her claim, the power has lived with the White House since President Harry Truman ordered two atomic bombs be released on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
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Typically, a military aide shadows the president and has a black briefcase known as the “nuclear football.” A president is rightfully able to order a nuclear attack with the United States’ arsenal of weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched missiles, or via strategic bombers.
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