General Milley Appears with Trump at Lafayette Square After Protest Clearing

| Importance: 8/10 | Status: confirmed

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley accompanied President Trump to Lafayette Square for a controversial photo opportunity at St. John’s Church, following a forcible clearing of peaceful protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets. Dressed in military camouflage, Milley’s presence created an immediate perception of military support for political actions. Within days, he publicly apologized, acknowledging that his presence ‘created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics’. Subsequent investigations revealed complex circumstances around the protest clearing, with the U.S. Park Police claiming they had not specifically cleared the area for Trump’s photo opportunity.

Key Actors

General Mark Milley Donald Trump Joint Chiefs of Staff Federal Law Enforcement Peaceful Protesters William Barr Mark Esper

Tags

milley lafayette-square protest-clearing military-politicization domestic-politics protest-suppression

Sources (3)

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