In an impassioned and at times furious speech, departing Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley defiantly proclaimed that the US military does not swear an oath to a “wannabe dictator.”
It was a bitter and pointed swipe that appeared unmistakably targeted at former President Donald Trump, who has in recent days accused Milley of “treason” and suggested that he should be put to death for his conduct surrounding Trump’s bid in 2021 to remain in office despite losing the presidential election.
“We are unique among the world’s militaries,” Milley said. “We don’t take an oath to a country, we don’t take an oath to a tribe, we don’t take an oath to a religion. We don’t take an oath to a king, or a queen, or a tyrant or a dictator.”
Both Milley and Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who also accompanied Trump in his walk across the cleared Lafayette Square, have said they were not aware where Trump was going when they fell in step behind him, and that they thought they were leaving the White House to thank National Guard troops stationed nearby.
"I should not have been there,” Milley told the National Defense University
“As a commissioned, uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I have learned from, and I sincerely hope we all can learn from it,”
Trump’s fault, and Milley thinks that man is a piece of shit. He’s very apologetic in hindsight.
Milley has been very clear about his regrets for having been there, and understands that what he did was wrong. It’s a lot easier with hindsight to think “Well, as soon as he realized what was going on, he should have left,” or “He should have made these kinds of strong statements against his being dragged into that photo op much earlier.”
That all happened on June 1, 2020, long before the election in November of the same year, and long before the events which Trump and other have now been indicted for in Georgia and the DC Circuit.
There must be a way for people to be redeemed for their past actions, and I believe that Milley’s statements go a very long way in that direction.
I couldn’t agree more. I’ll just add:
He did.
He said this within a week, if that counts:
As far as I’m aware, any comment he has ever made regarding the incident he has said it was a mistake.
Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/11/general-mark-milley-trump-coup/675375/
Excellent. There is nothing wrong with Milley in the context of that event; in fact, there is everything right about his actions. Thank you for fact checking me.
In no way intended to be a check, just more context. You nailed it.
Well, I wasn’t aware of the facts you brought, and my earlier comment was written on the false assumption that Milley had stayed on through the whole photo op, and that he hadn’t really said anything about it until what I have heard very recently.
Whether you intended to check or not, I am checked, and I like it that way. You have made me better now than I was seven hours ago.
This is incredible. How do you have all this knowledge at the ready?
“reading”
I read the Atlantic article when it first came out. Was a really good read and stuck with me.
Mf was the only reason I had any hope the military would stand against fascism. I didn’t know we were debating his merits.