James Mattis, the Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 in response to President Trump’s policy on Syria, has been quiet about politics since his departure, until now.
“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” Mattis wrote in a statement, according to The Atlantic. “The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.”
“We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution,” he added.
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,” Mattis writes. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.”
Read his full statement over at The Atlantic.
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