Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley broke his silence and apologized for his involvement in President Trump’s June 1 march across a protester-cleared Lafayette Square for a photo opportunity in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
“My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics,” Milley said in a video commencement address to the National Defense University.
“I should not have been there,” he added.
In the 10 days since protesters against the death of George Floyd were violently cleared from the plaza near the White House, numerous past military officials, including former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell and Trump’s first defense secretary, James Mattis, had condemned the appearance of top civilian and military leaders alongside the president.
In the address, first reported by the New York Times, Milley also said he was angry about the “senseless and brutal killing of George Floyd” and said he opposed the president’s proposal to use federal troops to quell protesters.
Milley’s comments are a marked departure from those heard on a leaked call that Trump held with governors early June 1, in which he and Defense Secretary Mark Esper echoed calls by the president to “dominate” the “battle space” of city streets with National Guard forces.
