[General James Mattis]
The rare disagreement between a president and his generals comes at a time when Trump is facing plummeting public support.
Photo: YouTube
Donald Trump is being roundly rebuked by high-ranking military personalities like General James Mattis.
A rare public rift has opened between United States President Donald Trump and senior military leaders over Trump’s threats to use troops against protesters as the US braces for another day of unrest and mourning following the death of George Floyd.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper broke publicly with Trump on Wednesday in an appearance at the Pentagon and said active-duty military troops should not be used to quell the protests. Other military leaders soon followed.
“The option to use active-duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire situations,” Esper said.
General Mark Milley, the top US commander, later the same day issued a memo to military leaders reminding them of their oaths to protect the US Constitution and the “right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.”
The rare disagreement between a president and his generals comes at a time when Trump is facing plummeting public support for his handling of the simultaneous crises of the coronavirus pandemic, crushing unemployment and mayhem in the streets. Trump met with his top campaign advisers at the White House on Thursday after polls released on Wednesday evening suggested his prospects for re-election are tumbling, the Reuters news service reported.
Trump’s aggressive use of federal law enforcement in Washington, DC – and his threats to call in combat troops against protesters in cities across the nation – have alarmed even some Republican leaders and politicians who had been supporters of the president.
Trump’s former Trump defense secretary, General James Mattis, chimed in with a strongly worded statement criticizing Trump directly for his divisive rhetoric during the protests.
“Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, DC, sets up a conflict – a false conflict between the military and civilian society,” Mattis said.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, told reporters at the US Capitol on Thursday that Mattis’s public letter rang true for her and she now is unsure whether to support Trump’s re-election.
“I thought General Mattis’s words were true and honest and necessary and overdue and I have been struggling for the right words,” Murkowski said. “Perhaps we’re getting to the point where we can be more honest with the concerns that we might hold internally and have the courage of our own convictions to speak up.”
For the rest of this Al Jazeera story log on: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/revolt-generals-trump-faces-heat-military-leaders-200604204515623.html
