US military chief said on Thursday that he should not have joined President Donald Trump on his way from the White House to a nearby church for a photo op after authorities cleared the way demonstrators using tear gas and rubber bullets.
“I shouldn’t have been there,” said the chief of staff, General Mark Milley, when he appeared on June 1.
“My presence at this time and in this environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics,” he said in a pre-video recording address at the University of National Defense.
Milley’s remarks followed a rare wave of convictions of retired American generals and even former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis for participating in the event, as the U.S. military is said to be apolitical and has vowed to defend the United States Constitution, which protects the right to peaceful protest.
Milley and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper had joined Trump on a surprise visit to the historic Saint John Church, during which the President brandished a Bible for photographers.
Minutes before the visit, law enforcement used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse mainly peaceful protesters occupying the square between the White House and the church during a demonstration against the murder of George Floyd by the police, leading to the condemnation of the Democrats and certain Republicans.
The National Guard supported law enforcement at the site.
“As an officer in uniform, this is a mistake I learned and I sincerely hope that we can all learn from it,” said Milley. He stopped apologizing right away.
National Guard Actions Review
Esper on Thursday ordered a review of the National Guard’s response to the unrest, the Pentagon said.
“The report will address a range of issues, including the training, equipment, organization, manpower, deployment and employment of National Guard forces,” he said in a statement. Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy will conduct the review, he said.
As authorities cleaned up, Trump made a speech at the White House condemning the “acts of internal terror” and saying that the United States was in the hands of professional anarchists, violent crowds, arson, looters, criminals and others.
He promised the mobilization of thousands of American soldiers and told state governors that the same day he put Milley “in charge” of the protest response. Milley later appeared to reinforce Trump’s comments by appearing in downtown Washington that night in camouflage.
The protests after Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis were largely peaceful. Floyd, who was black, died after a white policeman knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes on May 25.
Milley has not appeared in public to answer questions since the walk with Trump. His decision to deliver his remarks in a pre-recorded message, as opposed to a press conference, ruled out the possibility of taking questions, including on any break with the Republican president.
Over a week ago, Esper said at a Pentagon press conference that he regretted using the word “battle space” to describe protest sites in the United States and that ‘he did not know that the church visit was going to be a’ photo op ‘.
He also said publicly that he did not support the use of the insurgency law, which would allow Trump to mobilize active duty troops to quell the protests. Reuters reported that Trump was as close as possible to deploying troops on active duty and had yelled at Esper after the press conference.
In his speech on Thursday, Milley stressed the need for the military to stay out of politics.
“We who carry the fabric of our nation, we come from the people of our nation and we must cherish the principle of an apolitical army so deeply rooted in the very essence of our republic,” he said.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Howard Goller, Sonya Hepinstall and Leslie Adler)
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
