US Joint Chiefs Chairman Publicly Apologizes for Accompanying Trump at Bible Event

From the front row, left to right: Donald Trump, President of the United States; Mark Esper, Secretary of Defense; Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, who accompanied President Donald Trump to a 'Bible event' in front of a church and sparked controversy, publicly admitted his mistake of failing to maintain the military's political neutrality and apologized.

According to U.S. media, Milley delivered a video message at the National Defense University graduation ceremony on the 11th (local time) saying, "As many of you have seen the consequences caused by my photo at Lafayette Square, it ignited a national debate about the role of the military within civil society," adding, "I should not have gone there."

He continued, "At that moment, my presence in such an environment created the perception that the military was intervening in domestic politics."

This is the first time Chairman Milley has expressed his position regarding his accompaniment to President Trump's Bible event in front of the church. Previously, Defense Secretary Mark Esper caused a major stir by stating during a briefing that he could not accept President Trump's order to deploy the military to suppress protests.

Milley said, "We must cherish the principle of a 'non-political military,' deeply rooted in the essence of our republic," adding, "It is not easy. It requires time and effort, but it is an important task that everyone must fulfill every day."

He also mentioned that federal troops were not deployed to suppress protests, stating, "We were able to avoid deploying federal troops on American streets as a result of the joint efforts of the National Guard and law enforcement officers to suppress violence and ease tensions."

The NYT reported that Milley's remarks are "certain to anger the White House." President Trump has not yet commented on Milley's statements.

Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump had planned to dismiss Secretary Esper, who had effectively 'disobeyed' him, but canceled the plan at the last minute following advice from his aides.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.