Perhaps the president was seeking to shore up military support, or remind civilians of his popularity with the military at a trying political moment. Except that both the civilian and military leadership of the Department of Defense opposed the pardons. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, and senior military leaders advised against the pardons, worrying they would “damage the integrity of the military judicial system, the ability of military leaders to ensure good order and discipline, and the confidence of U.S. allies and partners who host U.S. troops.” The secretary of defense described “a robust discussion” with the president, wanting to clearly convey the department’s and his own personal disapproval of the pardons.

That the military services were unhappy was made clear by the crispness of the way they emphasized that the president had the authority to take these actions and they would comply. The Navy chief of information tweeted: “We acknowledge the order and are implementing it.”

Perhaps, then, the president was aiming for the rank-and-file military rather than leadership. He does have significant support here; servicewomen and men have been known to sport Trump’s distinctive MAGA hats. And the commander in chief has previously challenged the advice of DOD leaders by asserting that he understands better than they what the military wants. Notably, he told former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and H. R. McMaster, the former national security adviser and retired lieutenant general, that soldiers agreed with his position that the U.S. should no longer be fighting in Afghanistan.

CNN reported that military officials worried the president would seek to foment rank-and-file support for the pardons, to the detriment of military leaders. Civilians, too, should worry about a commander in chief who seeks to undermine the military chain of command to instill in soldiers a more personal loyalty, especially when the basis for that loyalty is free rein to behave unethically and in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The president chose to pardon the three on the second day of televised impeachment hearings in the House of Representatives, where career diplomats have been showcasing the integrity with which they carry out the public trust. The day the pardons were issued was also the day that one of the president’s closest campaign aides, Roger Stone, was convicted on seven counts of witness tampering and lying to Congress.

Perhaps the president was hoping the pardons would distract attention from other news. Overruling the strong preferences of the civilian and military leadership would be a nontrivial price to pay for such a political benefit, but Trump wouldn’t be the first president to use our military to political advantage.