Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that it was a “mistake” for him to participate in the photo-op President Donald Trump staged outside a church near the White House amid anti-racism protests. Milley, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Attorney General William Barr, national security adviser Robert O’Brien, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany can also been seen in some photos. The aggressive crowd-dispersal tactics and Trump’s subsequent photo-op drew intense backlash from activists, Democratic lawmakers, religious leaders and former military officials. Former Defense Secretary James Mattis condemned Trump for dividing the country in a searing statement published in The Atlantic last week. The two military officials believed they were walking out of the White House with Trump to “address the protests,” the spokesperson said.

Source: Huffington Post June 11, 2020 15:45 UTC