James Miller, a member of the Defense Science at the Pentagon, resigned after the Trump administration’s violent response to peaceful protesters in Washington, with tear gas and rubber bullets. In his resignation letter, Miller said that Defense Secretary Mark Esper violated his oath to defend the Constitution by standing in the front row of administration officials next to Trump as he was photographed holding a Bible in front of a church, just minutes after the peaceful protesters were violently removed from the White House. He also said that the protesters were violently removed, not for security, but to clear the street for a presidential photo op. Esper then accompanied President Trump on his walk from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church for this photo. Curiously, the US Park Police released a statement denying that they used tear gas against protesters, which was obviously false, given that the incident was revealed on live television .It also appears that Australian journalists were assaulted by police, even though a cameraman was clearly holding a television camera.
Miller, who also served in the Pentagon under President Barack Obama from 2012 to 2014 and is the first high-ranking official to resign over the incident, gave his letter to the Washington Post, which published it. The letter makes it clear that Miller was deeply disturbed by the image of the defense secretary being used as a prop for an authoritarian president. Furthermore, Miller wrote of Esper in his resignation letter from the Pentagon, among other things, the following: “You may not have been able to stop President Trump from carrying out this terrible use of force, but you could have chosen to oppose it. Instead, you openly supported him. Whoever takes the oath of office must decide which line to follow.”
Trump, a white fascist, threatened to send the US military into the streets, where thousands of people are protesting the death of 46-year-old George Floyd, an African-American man killed by a white police officer in Minnesota. He also blamed the nation's governors in a phone call that was leaked to the press.
Miller warned in his resignation letter from the Pentagon that Trump seemed ready to break laws to harm peaceful protesters in the U.S.Esper, who also called out governors, said they should “dominate the battlefield,” referring to American streets as a “war zone.” “As a concerned citizen, and as a former senior defense official who cares deeply about the military, I urge you to carefully consider both your future actions and your future words,” Miller wrote. “For example, some might interpret the suggestion you made to the nation’s governors on Monday that they should dominate the battlefield literally.” I cannot believe you see the United States as a “battlefield” or that you believe our citizens should “dominate.” "Such an expression sends an extremely dangerous message." Esper told NBC News on Tuesday that he had no idea where he was going when he left the White House with Trump. He claimed he had no idea Trump would use the walk as an opportunity for a presidential photo. He also said that Trump simply stood in front of the church, holding a Bible and saying nothing, but invited other members of his regime to take pictures with him in front of the press cameras. Miller closed his letter by asking Esper how far he was willing to go, as he would soon be faced with making "life and death decisions" that could be used against Americans, adding that the "purity" of the U.S. Constitution and the lives of Americans may depend on their choices.
