The outrage over President Donald Trump’s use of the U.S. military to quell protesters continues to grow among military experts. Former Defense Secretary William Perry on Thursday became the latest ex-defense chief to rip into Trump, accusing the president of politicizing the country’s armed forces.
Perry, who was defense secretary during the Clinton Administration, told Politico in a statement: “I support the right of protesters to demonstrate peacefully, and deplore the suggestion that our military should be used to suppress them.”
He added: “The U.S. military is a powerful force that has served our nation well, in war and in peace. But it was never intended to be used against American citizens, and it was never intended to be used for partisan political purposes.”
Perry’s comments come after James Mattis, Trump’s former defense secretary, slammed the president for his response to the nationwide protests that have erupted nationwide after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police last week.
You can read Perry’s entire statement here.
