In the News: William C. Banks
Banks weighs in on Trump's impeachment case in Wall Street Journal
See related: Congress, Government, U.S. Elections, United States
Banks quoted in China Daily article on the inauguration
See related: Federal, Political Parties, U.S. Elections, United States
Banks quoted in USA Today article on use of the Insurrection Act
See related: Government, Political Parties, U.S. Elections, United States
Banks discusses the National Guard monitoring protests with NBC News
See related: Government, United States
Maxwell faculty speak to the media about violence at the US Capitol
See related: Congress, Crime & Violence, Elections, Federal, United States
Banks sums up 2020 in China Daily article
See related: Civil Rights, COVID-19, Government, Political Parties, Race & Ethnicity, United States
Banks quoted in Military Times article on martial law, new election
Earlier this week, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn promoted the idea that the U.S. military should oversee a new nationwide presidential election, ordered under martial law by President Donald Trump. Professor Emeritus William C. Banks calls the idea "preposterous" and adds, "martial law has no place in the United States absent a complete breakdown of civil governing mechanisms."
See related: Federal, U.S. Elections, United States
Banks examines impact of delayed transfer of power on Legal Talk Network
Professor Emeritus William C. Banks assesses that "the world is out there, and our adversaries are all aware... that we're more vulnerable as a nation and national security apparatus than any other time during the last four years." He adds, "without a coordinated effort between the outgoing Trump people and incoming Biden people, things could quickly lose control."
See related: Federal, U.S. Elections, United States
Banks discusses Biden's transition with WAER
Professor Emeritus William C. Banks thinks the delay by the Trump Administration to share information to Biden will be "negligible to none." However, he feels it comes with other costs. "I feel a great deal has been lost symbolically and I believe our democratic institutions have been severely beat up by the bruising battles that have been fought for no good reason," Banks says.
See related: Federal, U.S. Elections, United States
Banks comments on election results in China Daily
William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, says it is highly unlikely that Trump can do anything to change the outcome of the election. "It remains to be seen how his supporters react," Banks says. "It is too soon to tell."
See related: U.S. Elections, United States
Banks discusses election scenarios in Associated Press, Medium, Military Times
According to Professor Emeritus William Banks, sending uniformed troops to the polls, including the [National] Guard, would be unwise. "The overriding point is that we don’t want the military involved in our civilian affairs. It just cuts against the grain of our history, our conditions, our values, our laws."
See related: U.S. Elections, United States
Banks featured in WAER piece on COVID-19 in the White House, national security
"Attention on the domestic political situation and the president’s dominance of the news and his well-being is obscuring what else might be going on in the world that should be drawing some of our attention," says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.
See related: COVID-19, Federal, U.S. National Security, United States
Banks expresses concern about election aftermath in Spectrum News article
"On a scale of one to 10, I’d say my worry is about a nine," says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. "There are several plausible scenarios that could cause this election to go off the rails."
See related: U.S. Elections, United States
Banks comments on Hong Kong's new national security law in South China Morning Post
"[National security] definitions are a game that all governments play. Pay attention instead to how governments treat their citizens," says William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.
See related: China, Government, National Security
Banks quoted in Vox article on military deployment at US-Mexico border
While military deployment to the border by President Trump is "clearly legal," Professor of Practice William Banks questions "whether the wall construction itself is lawful."
Banks explains role of National Guard in PBS NewsHour article
The National Guard is trained to help domestically in a variety of capacities. "That said, they are members of the military, not law enforcement, so they are largely trained to supplement military jobs," says Professor Emeritus William Banks.
See related: U.S. National Security, United States
Banks discusses the Insurrection Act with Christian Science Monitor, Military.com
"You want to come to the aid of the states when states can’t take care of themselves," says Professor Emeritus William C. Banks, about President Trump's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act.
See related: Federal, State & Local, U.S. National Security, United States
Banks cautions against use of military during pandemic in Daily News
Most of the time...America’s military forces have remained in the background, waiting for direction from civilian leaders to respond to crises and then only in limited ways," says William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. "That’s by design. We train soldiers to fight and win wars and deter threats overseas."
See related: COVID-19, U.S. National Security, United States