“Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so.” — Adm. Mike McMullen, JCS chairman under Presidents Bush and Obama
Admiral Mike Mullen (Getty Images)
Mullen says he was “sickened” by Attorney General Barr’s use of soldiers to force peaceful protesters out of Lafayette Park to clear a path for President Trump’s photo-op at a church across the street, whose rector expressed “outrage.” Mullen, in an op-ed published by The Atlantic, called use of the military for political purposes alarming. Read story here and here, and op-ed here.
As I’ve posted elsewhere (on HorsesAss.org), I think Speaker Pelosi should initiate an impeachment inquiry to determine whether Barr’s role in this incident warrants removing him from office. Even though no impeachment of any Trump official has any chance of being upheld by the Republican-controlled Senate, it’s not meaningless and would become a permanent mark in the history books.
Update: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), a hardcore rightwinger, stirred controversy by writing an op-ed urging Trump to “send in the troops” to disperse protesters, and the New York Times has drawn fire for publishing it. Read that story here.