Has there ever been such a public condemnation of a sitting President from so many former military leaders?
General John Allen , USMC (ret.):
“The slide of the United States into illiberalism may well have begun on 1 June 2020. Remember the date. It may well signal the beginning of the end of the American experiment,”
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/04/polit...oyd/index.html
General Martin Dempsey, USA (ret.)
"The idea that the military would be called in to suppress what for the most , part were peaceful protests" is "very dangerous", Dempsey said.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/demp...ry?id=71110603
Gen. John Kelly USMC (Ret.):
“I think we need to look harder at who we elect," Kelly said on Friday. "I think we should look at people that are running for office and put them through the filter: What is their character like? What are their ethics?"
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trum...ry?id=71093630
General James Mattis , USMC (Ret):
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to do unite the American people –– does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us," Mattis wrote.
“Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, DC, sets up a conflict - a false conflict between the military and civilian society," Mattis said.
https://www.businessinsider.com/matt...atement-2020-6
General Barry McCaffrey , USA (ret.)
“This powerful, good nation is in trouble. The root cause is division and anger purposely created by Trump. The next President will need four years of national reconciliation. We need to restore American values. We need to address racial injustice.”
https://www.king5.com/article/news/t...0-bf19af43a252
Admiral William McRaven , USN (ret.):
* Retired Adm. William McRaven said Friday that there was "nothing morally right" about forcefully clearing Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, so President Donald Trump could take photos in front of a church.
* "You're not going to use, whether it is the military or the National Guard or law enforcement, to clear peaceful American citizens for the president of the United States to do a photo op," he said. "There is nothing morally right about that."
* He also defended the many former military leaders who have spoken out this week, saying that it is "great to see the voices being raised and a little bit of sanity, hopefully, coming back to this very, very tragic situation."
https://www.businessinsider.com/mcra...t-right-2020-6
General Mark Milley, USA (Current Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSOC):
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".
“We all committed our lives to the idea that is America,” Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote by hand at the end of a memo about the military’s defense of all Americans, and their constitutional right to protest. “We will stay true to that oath and the American people.”
The June 2 memo was sent to all service members and made public on Wednesday by the Joint Chiefs in a tweet.”
Read more here:
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nat...#storylink=cpy
Admiral Mike Mullen, USN (ret.):
“I remain confident in the professionalism of our men and women in uniform. They will serve with skill and with compassion. They will obey lawful orders. But I am less confident in the soundness of the orders they will be given by this commander in chief, and I am not convinced that the conditions on our streets, as bad as they are, have risen to the level that justifies a heavy reliance on military troops. Certainly, we have not crossed the threshold that would make it appropriate to invoke the provisions of the Insurrection Act.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/ar...spaces/612553/
General Colin Powell, USA (ret.):
The most withering critique came from Colin Powell in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The former secretary of state and chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called Trump a chronic liar who had “drifted away” from the Constitution and become a danger to the country.
Powell said he plans to vote for Joe Biden for president and urged Americans to search their conscience and vote for the candidate who is best for the country as a whole, not only themselves.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...3b2_story.html
Admiral James Stavridis, USN (ret.):
“The sweeping use of a combined civil-military force – D.C. police, Park Police, National Guard, and active duty military police – against the protesters to clear the way for a Presidential photo-op was beyond the pale of American norms. It was particularly ill-advised to include active duty military personnel in that event.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-...o-be-dominated
EARLIER CRITIC:
General Stanley McCrystal, USA, (ret.):
"I don't think he tells the truth," McChrystal told ABC's Martha Raddatz on "This Week." When asked if he thought Trump was immoral, McChrystal responded: "I think he is." (From 2018).
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...mmoral/579181/
Can you imagine the level of Holy Hell that the right wing would have raised if these same people had come out in unison condemning Barack Obama?
Now?
Not a peep.
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