Milley says the military doesn’t swear oath to a ‘wannabe dictator’ in apparent swipe at Trump

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cnn.com

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.”

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I still vividly remember watching the Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Miley personally escorting Donald Trump through peaceful protesters being beaten and gassed to a Church Trump had never been to, to hold up a bible Trump had never read. Don't try selling me Mark fucking Miley, that fucking fascist enabler can go straight to hell.

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:

"Well, as soon as he realized what was going on, he should have left"

He did.

Milley realized too late that Trump, who continued across the street to pose for a now-infamous photo while standing in front of a vandalized church, was manipulating him into a visual endorsement of his martial approach to the demonstrations. Though Milley left the entourage before it reached the church, the damage was significant. “We’re getting the fuck out of here,” Milley said to his security chief. “I’m fucking done with this shit.” Esper would later say that he and Milley had been duped.

"He should have made these kinds of strong statements against his being dragged into that photo op much earlier."

He said this within a week, if that counts:

The week afterward, in a commencement address to the National Defense University, he apologized to the armed forces and the country. “I should not have been there,” he said.

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?

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.

A true patriot would have snapped his neck and taken the punishment in service to the greater good.

That's the type of person Trump thought Mad Dog Mattis was, because the nickname isn't indicative to who Mattis is, Trump was put off with Mattis's "warrior philosopher" schtick and Mattis in turn was put off when he realized Trump's fascist strongman persona wasn't an act.

As a former Marine who respects Mattis, I was deeply disappointed that he couldn't see through Trump's bullshit earlier on.

I'm sure he could tell. I just think he thought he could help, but eventually resigned when he realized that he was less effective than he expected he would be, and refused to be complicit in the administration.

Dude could've made himself into a folk hero

Nah, that shitbrick would have been a perpetual martyr. Better that he gets publically kicked in the dick over and over instead.

Exactly. If Trump dies anything but a natural death, he will be a martyr. Hell, even if he dies a natural death you can bet no small number of them will blame the Democrats, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and whoever else they can that they secretly murdered him. Trump could die with a cheeseburger lodged in his throat and they'd say libruls did it.

Face it, no matter which way the man dies, he's going to be a martyr, the only thing that can be controlled is how much of one he is.