“I should not have been there,” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said in a prerecorded video commencement address to the National Defense University due to take place on Thursday. “My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.”
Milley and Defense Secretary Mark Esper walked with the Republican president during his surprise trip to the historic Saint John’s Church on June 1, during which he held up a Bible for photographers, Reuters reports.
Law enforcement used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse mostly peaceful protesters before Trump crossed the street to the church, drawing condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans.
