Gen. Mark Milley apologized Thursday for his role earlier this month in President Donald Trump‘s controversial photo-op outside St. John’s Episcopal Church near the White House, which came after authorities forcibly dispersed a George Floyd protest.
Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not appear in the photo with Trump, though he was seen alongside the president as the group walked from the White House through Lafayette Park to the church.
His apology came during a prerecorded keynote address to the National Defense University’s class of 2020.
“As many of you saw the results of the photograph of me in Lafayette Square last week, that sparked a national debate about the role of the military in civil society,” said Milley, 61. “I should not have been there. My presence in that moment, and in that environment, created the perception of the military involved in domestic politics.”
Defense Secretary Mark Esper was also present and appeared alongside Trump in photos taken outside the church, which the White House has said was meant to show resolve amid chaos.
Senior defense officials told the Washington Post that both Milley and Esper were unaware of the president’s intentions before they joined him outside the White House as authorities cleared protesters from the park with force.
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Bugs Marlowe
Article URL : https://people.com/politics/general-mark-milley-apologizes-for-role-in-trump-church-photo-op/