Pentagon, generals and former presidents condemn Trump's reaction to US protests

Several current and former Pentagon executives, as well as former U.S. presidents, criticized Donald Trump’s reaction to the protests over the murder of African American George Floyd by police in Minnesota. Army generals did not support the decision of the US president to use the army to suppress protests, writes Air force.

Photo: Shutterstock

Former head of the U.S. Department of Defense James Mattis, who led the Pentagon for nearly two years in the Trump administration, accused the president of deliberately trying to split society. The general supported the demonstrators, who, in his opinion, advocated the preservation of American values.

American presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter also spoke out about the protests.

"Violation of constitutional rights"

The four-star General James Mattis led the Pentagon from January 2017 to December 2018. He resigned after Trump decided to withdraw American troops from Syria. Since then, Mattis almost did not speak out about the political situation in the country. But on June 3, The Atlantic magazine published his harsh remarks about the situation.

“Donald Trump is the first president in my memory who is not trying to unite the nation. He doesn't even pretend to try. On the contrary, he is trying to separate us. We are now seeing the consequences of his focused efforts in this area over the past three years,” Mattis said.

The death of an African American at the hands of a policeman provoked massive protests in dozens of US cities.

In some cases, they were accompanied by clashes with the police and looting, but this week, according to BBC correspondents, the number of exceptionally peaceful actions increased. A number of states have introduced curfews.

On June 2, Trump announced his intention to send troops to some states if necessary. Under the Posse Comitatus Act, passed in 1878, the military cannot operate domestically without authorization from Congress. But Trump, in his own words, intends to use the Insurrection Act, adopted in 1807 - it was last used in 1992 during riots and looting in Los Angeles.

“It is unimaginable that our troops would ever be ordered to violate the constitutional rights of their fellow citizens,” Mattis comments on the government’s decision to use military force. In his opinion, this is a direct path to deep conflict between civilians and military.

Photo: video frame YouTube / USA TODAY

He also said that the abuse of power witnessed by all of America is unacceptable, and those who mock the Constitution should be held accountable.

Trump called Mattis an “overrated general” and published a series of messages on Twitter in which he claimed that Mattis’s resignation was not voluntary, and that the US president himself fired him.

“I didn’t like his management style, I didn’t like much about him at all, and many agreed with me. So glad he's gone,” Trump wrote in one message.

In another of his messages we read: “Perhaps the only thing Barack Obama and I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis, the most overrated general in the world. I asked him to submit his resignation to me and did not doubt his decision. His nickname was "chaos", but I didn't like it, so I changed it to "mad dog".

Mattis himself previously said that journalists awarded him the nickname “mad dog.”

Pentagon vs

Disagreement with the requirement to use troops to suppress protests was previously announced by several current and former Pentagon leaders.

On June 3, Pentagon chief Mark Esper said his department did not intend to use the army to perform police functions. According to him, the law adopted in 1807 provides the president with such a right, but can only be used in the United States in the most dangerous and critical situations. Trump insisted on the application of this law.

Also, the chairman of the committee of chiefs of staff, General Mark Miley, reminded the military officers that they had taken the oath to observe the constitutional rights of citizens, in particular, the right to peaceful protest.

“We have all dedicated our lives to America and its ideas. We will remain true to our oath of office and to the American people,” Miley wrote.

On the subject: Trump mobilized troops to put an end to unrest in the country

Ex-presidents are also against trump

Several U.S. presidents have also spoken out about the protests: Republican George W. Bush, Democrats Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton said they think the White House’s reaction to the protests is excessive.

Obama called the current protests the most meaningful of all that he saw in life. The 44th president urged Americans to seize this opportunity and solve the problem that exists in American society.

“Too often violence is used by the people who are supposed to serve you and protect you. I want you to know that you, your lives, your dreams matter. We're seeing a change in the way we think about how things can be much better,” Obama said.

Obama did not specifically comment on Trump’s actions, but urged city mayors to reconsider their use of force.

Bush called the death of George Floyd a shocking failure of a system that allowed racism in the country, and urged his fellow party member Trump to listen to the protests, instead of putting pressure on them.

“The only way to see yourself in the real world is to listen to the voices of those who are sad and hurt. Those who try to silence these voices do not understand what America is and how it can become better,” George W. Bush wrote in a statement.

Jimmy Carter said silence is as deadly as open violence.

“People in power, privilege, and people of conscience must stand together to say a resounding no to racial discrimination by police and the judiciary, immoral economic disparities between whites and blacks, and government actions that undermine our democracy,” Carter said.

Photo: video frame YouTube / USA TODAY

Democrat Bill Clinton said in a statement that no one deserves to die like George Floyd did, but such a death does not threaten the white man in America.

“Why does this still happen? What can we do to ensure that the police treat members of every community as they should?” Clinton asks.

He called on the Trump administration to abandon the division into “we” and “them,” plead guilty and take responsibility for rectifying the situation.

Protests caused by the death of George Floyd continued on the night of June 4 in dozens of American cities, despite curfews.

Mostly the shares were peaceful, the authorities of Los Angeles and Chicago even weakened control measures.

Forensic experts found that in early April, Floyd was ill with a coronavirus, but emphasized that this did not play any role in his death.

On the subject: At least 11 people became victims of mass protests in the USA: what is happening in the country

Polite people in Washington: security officers without insignia appeared in the capital

The appearance on the streets of the American capital of security forces without badges and insignia gave rise to rumors about private military companies and comparisons with the “green men” of the times of the Russian annexation of Crimea, writes Air force.

Just like the once Russian servicemen, they did not want to introduce themselves and avoided communication with the press.

In fact, the troops turned out to be special units of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, sent to strengthen security in Washington and Miami by order of the head of the Department of Justice.

They complement other federal officers policing Washington, from the FBI, Drug Enforcement and Immigration Enforcement to Customs and even Park Police.

The law allows federal officials to serve on the streets of Washington without insignia, but Democrats in Congress want to ban this practice.

Photo: video frame YouTube / USA TODAY

“Federal assets”

During the political crisis, which began with the death of a black American, George Floyd in Minneapolis, several state guard units were sent to reinforce the metropolitan police.

The National Guard is a reserve force composed primarily of individuals who have recently served and do not require additional training. These units are not part of the regular army. They report to both the governors of their states and the president.

President Donald Trump also wants to bring a regular army to the streets of the United States, but the army top does not support these plans.

In addition to the army, there are dozens of federal power structures in the United States, and on June 1, the White House announced Trump's plans to mobilize more “federal assets” to protect the rule of law in the country.

The United States Secret Service, the FBI, Park Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Border Guard Service, the Federal Marshals Service, and the U.S. Immigration Police have already been involved in this or that role in Washington.

Photo: video frame YouTube / USA TODAY

“Green men”

And on June 2, journalists covering the protests in central Washington noticed dozens of security officers in camouflage and helmets.

The security forces did not have badges, chevrons or other identification marks. Some of them refused to answer questions from journalists about their affiliation.

When the correspondent of Mother Jones magazine Dan Friedman asked the men in camouflage what bodies they belong to, they answered, they say, “to the Department of Justice” or “to the federal government”.

In his article, Friedman compares the security forces he saw with the “green men” in Ukraine.

A similar association was born to hundreds of Americans on Twitter.

“Trump’s little green men,” Walter Shaub, who headed the US Office of Government Ethics in the Obama administration, commented on the appearance of the security forces.

On the subject: Minnesota Ukrainians driving truck into crowd of protesters not charged

Others feared that Trump might have used the services of Erik Prince, the founder of the private military company Blackwater. Prince is the younger brother of the head of the US Department of Education, Betsy DeVos.

It was with these mercenaries that the siloviks linked the account of the Anonymous hacker group, which has more than 6 million subscribers. But the hypothesis turned out to be erroneous.

When an MSNBC correspondent drew attention to the men in camouflage, his subscribers recognized the equipment of special units of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Observers also recalled that on June 1, NPR public radio reported, citing a senior official, that the head of the US Department of Justice, William Barr, ordered the units to be sent to Washington and Miami.

In response to questions from journalists, a spokesman for the Justice Ministry confirmed that security forces without identification marks belong to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Photo: video frame YouTube / USA TODAY

News from the streets of Washington met with sharp reaction from the opposition and liberal publications.

“We cannot tolerate secret police in America,” said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.

He is going to introduce a bill that will oblige all federal power structures to identify their employees in uniform while performing duties in the country.

Democrats in Congress demanded that they be provided with information about all security structures during protests in the capital.

A letter signed by the chairman of the Justice Committee of the US House of Representatives, Jerry Nadler and other Democrats, is addressed to the heads of security agencies in the Trump administration.

In an interview with the Washington Post, former police and FBI officials called the use of security badges without badges dangerous for both citizens and law enforcement officials.

They recalled the murders of undercover agents that their colleagues mistook for criminals, as well as recent protests against quarantine involving dozens of civilians with weapons and quasi-military outfits.

It is difficult for an ordinary citizen to distinguish them, as well as private security guards, from law enforcement officers, experts say.

Read also on ForumDaily:

The story repeats itself: how New York survived the night of nightmares and looting 40 years ago

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Protests in the USA: more than 10 thousand people arrested for violating curfew and crime

All police officers involved in the death of George Floyd were arrested: they face up to 40 years in prison

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