The top US military officer says he should not have joined Donald Trump when the US President walked from the White House to a nearby church for a photo opportunity after authorities cleared the way of protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets.
“I should not have been there,” Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Mark Milley said of his appearance at the politically charged event on June 1.
“My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics,” he said in a pre-recorded video commencement address to the National Defense University.
General Milley’s remarks followed a rare outpouring of condemnation from retired US generals and even former defence secretary Jim Mattis for Mr Trump taking part in the event.
The US military is meant to be apolitical and is sworn to defend the country’s constitution, which protects the right to peaceful protest.
General Milley and Defence Secretary Mark Esper joined Mr Trump to pay a surprise visit to the historic Saint John’s Episcopal Church, during which the President held up a bible for photographers.
Minutes before the visit, law enforcement used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse mostly peaceful protesters occupying the square between the White House and the church in a demonstration against the police killing of George Floyd.
The National Guard supported law enforcement at the site.
“As a commissioned uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I have learned from, and I sincerely hope we all can learn from it,” General Milley said.
As authorities were clearing the square, Mr Trump delivered a speech at the White House condemning “acts of domestic terror” and saying the United States was in the grips of professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals and others.
He promised the mobilisation of thousands of US troops and told state governors that same day he was putting General Milley “in charge” of the protest response.
General Milley later seemed to reinforce Mr Trump’s comments by appearing in downtown Washington DC that evening in camouflage fatigues.
He has not appeared in public to answer questions since the walk with Mr Trump.
His decision to deliver his remarks in a pre-recorded message, as opposed to a news conference, precluded the possibility of taking questions, including about any split with the Republican President.
Mr Esper told a Pentagon news conference more than a week ago he regretted using the word “battlespace” to describe protest sites around the United States and said he was unaware the church visit was going to be a “photo op”.
He also publicly stated he did not support the use of the Insurrection Act, which would allow Mr Trump to mobilise active-duty troops to crack down on protests.
In his address on Thursday, General Milley stressed the need for members of the military to stay out of politics.
“We who wear the cloth of our nation come from the people of our nation and we must hold dear the principle of an apolitical military that is so deeply rooted in the very essence of our republic,” he said.
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