General Wouldn't Follow Trump Order for 'Illegal' Nuclear Strike

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The commander of US Strategic Command says he wouldn't launch a nuclear strike he believed to be "illegal" if ordered to do so by President Trump, CBS News reports. Air Force Gen. John Hyten, the top US nuclear commander, says he doesn't take the responsibility lightly. 

"We're not stupid people," he said Saturday at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia. "We think about these things a lot. When you have this responsibility, how do you not think about it?" That includes what to do if the president gave an order for an unlawful nuclear strike.

"If it's illegal, guess what's going to happen?" Hyten said. "I'm going to say, 'Mr. President, that's illegal.' And guess what he's going to do? He's going to say, 'What would be legal?' And we'll come up options, with a mix of capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is."


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