In an extraordinary resignation letter, provided to The Washington Post, a Pentagon official resigned citing Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's role in President Donald Trump's photo op.
"You may not have been able to stop President Trump from directing this appalling use of force, but you could have chosen to oppose it. Instead, you visibly supported it," James Miller, a former undersecretary of defense for policy, wrote in his resignation letter to Esper.
Miller, a former undersecretary of defense for policy, cited Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's participation in President Donald Trump's Monday night photo op in front of St. John's Church. You recited that same oath on July 23, 2019, when you were sworn in as Secretary of Defense. On Monday, June 1, 2020, I believe that you violated that oath. Law-abiding protesters just outside the White House were dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets — not for the sake of safety, but to clear a path for a presidential photo op. You then accompanied President Trump in walking from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church for that photo.
Miller ended the letter by saying, "I wish you the best, in very difficult times. The sanctity of the U.S. Constitution, and the lives of Americans, may depend on your choices."US President Donald Trump holds up a bible in front of St John's Episcopal church after walking across Lafayette Park from the White House in Washington, DC on June 1, 2020.in which Trump threatened to deploy active-duty U.S.
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