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Trump’s Public-Relations Army

By Dexter Filkins
The image of Donald Trump leading his advisers to St. John’s Church may prove to be a defining one of his Presidency: Trump, passing through streets that had been cleared of protesters by tear gas, to pose with a Bible while fires burned all over the country. For many members of the military, the image contained an especially discordant note. Amid the political aides in blue suits was a barrel-chested Army officer wearing combat fatigues: General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and America’s highest-ranking soldier. A former senior defense official described to me his disgust with that moment and the de-facto endorsement that it represented. “Walking the streets of D.C. in your combat fatigues—are you kidding me?” he said.
Read more at https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trumps-public-relations-army

The prominent former military leaders who have criticized Trump’s actions over protests

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN
June 5, 2020
Military leaders are usually cautious about airing their political opinions, but over the week, several former top military officials, including former Defense Secretary James Mattis, have raised the alarm and spoken out, in strong terms, against President Donald Trump.
A number of retired four-star generals and admirals denounced Trump’s threat to use the US active military to quell nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police.
The military leaders criticized the use of law enforcement and National Guard troops to aggressively disperse peaceful protesters outside the White House, so that Trump could walk over to the St. John’s Episcopal Church across the street and pose with a Bible. And some condemned the appearance of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accompanying Trump for the photo-op. Many of these military leaders have been critical of the President in the past.
Read more at https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/05/politics/military-leaders-trump-floyd-protests/index.html

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Army grounds crew of helicopter that flew low over protests amid official investigation

By Jeff Schogo
June 6, 2020
he crew of an Army National Guard medical evacuation helicopter that hovered extremely low over protesters in Washington, D.C. on Monday has been grounded pending an investigation, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters on Friday.
“That [investigation] should be coming to a close shortly,” McCarthy said. “I’m going to get an interim update later today.”
The Army immediately grounded the crew as soon as the investigation was launched on Monday, he said.
Read more at https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-grounds-helicopter-crew-protests

ENTIRE emergency response team of Buffalo Police Department resigns over suspension of cops who pushed elderly protester

5 Jun, 2020
All 57 members of the Buffalo Police Department’s Emergency Response Team have quit their unit in protest after two officers were suspended without pay over their unprovoked attack on an elderly peaceful protester.
The officers resigned from their positions en masse on Friday after their colleagues were suspended without pay the previous night as a “show of support and disgust,” local media reported. They have not quit the police department entirely, however.
The Erie County District Attorney is investigating an incident – caught on video – in which two members of the Emergency Response Team pushed a 75-year-old demonstrator to the ground in the process of clearing the area in front of the Buffalo City Hall. While they initially claimed the man fell, video later emerged showing the men shoving him without apparent provocation.
Read more at https://www.rt.com/usa/490987-buffalo-riot-police-unit-resign/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email

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