« Whatever Trump’s goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country, » Mullen wrote.
Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called President Donald Trump’s Monday visit outside of St. John’s Church in Washington D. C. a « stunt » while saying he thinks Trump has « disdain » for peaceful protests and will dangerously politicize the military against American citizens.
« It sickened me yesterday to see security personnel—including members of the National Guard—forcibly and violently clear a path through Lafayette Square to accommodate the president’s visit outside St. John’s Church, » Mullen wrote in an op-ed published in The Atlantic.
Mullen says he has been « reticent » to criticize Trump’s leadership until now, « but we are at an inflection point, and the events of the past few weeks have made it impossible to remain silent, » he wrote.
« Whatever Trump’s goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country, gave succor to the leaders of other countries who take comfort in our domestic strife, and risked further politicizing the men and women of our armed forces, » Mullen wrote.
