Tensions between President Trump and U.S. military leaders have escalated over the handling of protests, culminating in officials reminding troops about their oath to the Constitution.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, and National Guard chief Joseph Lengyel have sent out guidance to take that oath seriously as protests swell across the country in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd pleaded for his life.
Trump has threatened military “domination” to quell the large-scale protests. Law enforcement’s use of force to remove largely peaceful protesters away from the White House on Tuesday, after which Trump walked across Lafayette Park to take photos in front of a church that had been set on fire during the unrest, has been widely condemned as crossing a line.
Milley, who walked with Trump from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church, sent a memo Tuesday to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reminding that protesters have the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly under the Constitution.
“Please remind all of our troops and leaders that we will uphold the values of our nation and operate consistent with national laws and our own high standards of conduct at all times,” he wrote.
He added a handwritten note at the bottom of the memo that said, “We all committed our lives to the idea that this is America — we will stay true to that oath and the American people.”
McCarthy and Lengyel sent similar messages this week.
“Every Soldier and Department of the Army Civilian swears an oath to support and defend the Constitution. That includes the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances,” McCarthy said.
“If we are to fulfill our obligation as service members, as Americans, and as decent human beings, we have to take our oath seriously,” Lengyel wrote in a memo titled “We must do better.”
Trump’s former Defense Secretary James Mattis called Trump a threat to the Constitution in a scathing statement Wednesday.
“When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens — much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside,” Mattis said. “We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.”
On Wednesday, Trump’s current Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who also walked with the president from the White House to the church, distanced himself from Trump wanting to use federal troops against protesters.
Trump indicated later in the day that it may not be necessary, though the president is known to change his mind abruptly.
