Mattis breaks his silence and accuses Trump of abusing military power against Americans
The former defense secretary said troops should not be used to dominate protests and called deliberate division a threat to constitutional government.
Entities and roles
- Donald J. TrumpDonald Trump network root
- James Mattisformer Trump defense secretary
Relationships in this file
- Donald J. Trumpformer defense secretaryJames Mattis
Claims and evidence
- factdocumented
After federal officers cleared Lafayette Square and Trump threatened to deploy active-duty troops, Mattis wrote that militarizing the response created a false conflict between the military and civilian society and that officials must reject actions that violate the Constitution. He called Trump the first president in his lifetime not even pretending to unite Americans. Trump answered with personal attacks on Mattis.
- The Atlantic: James Mattis denounces President Trump, describes him as a threat to the ConstitutionMattis's complete statement and editorial context on Lafayette Square and military deployment