“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” Mattis said.
Former Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday forcefully rebuked President Donald Trump and his response to the Geroge Floyd protests, in the first time the retired general has criticized the president publicly.... [+]Atlantic
, Mattis said he was “angry and appalled” that he has seen police officers “violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens.” Mattis did not mention race, but he stated his support for the protesters and their rights under the First Amendment, adding that “we must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers.”
Mattis slammed Trump for posing for a photo-op minutes after police officers used tear gas on a group of protesters to clear the way: “We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution,” he said.
Mattis had been reluctant to publicly criticize Trump until now: “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try,” Mattis wrote.“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding.
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