Trump Shares Letter Calling Peaceful Protesters ‘Terrorists’

The letter from veteran attorney and former Trump attorney John Dowd appears to be addressed to former Defense Secretary James Mattis and refutes Mattis’s statement on Wednesday criticizing Trump’s response to protests nationwide after George’s death. Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

The president’s decision to share the letter and his striking depiction of Americans exercising their constitutional rights comes as he continues to lean on his strong-man approach to ongoing protests. On Monday, he declared himself “his president of law and order,” as peaceful protesters outside the White House gates were dispersed with gas, explosions, and rubber bullets, apparently in order to visit a church. close.

He remained in the bricked-up building, brandishing a camera Bible, only for a few minutes before returning to the White House.

The letter was condemned by the Modern Military Association of America, a nonprofit organization for the LGBTQ veteran and military community.

“Donald Trump has just crossed a very serious line that calls for swift and forceful condemnation of all members of Congress,” said Air Force veteran Jennifer Dane, the group’s interim executive director. “Promoting a letter labeling American citizens who peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights as ‘terrorists’ is a heinous violation of their oath to preserve, protect, and defend the United States Constitution. Now more than ever, it is absolutely crucial that Trump be held accountable for his reckless actions. ”

The episode followed nearly a week of protests across the country that were sometimes turned violent by the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis.

In response to the president’s approach, Mattis released a statement on Wednesday warning that the United States “must reject any thought by our cities as a” battle space “that our uniformed military must” dominate. “

“At home, we should use our armed forces only when asked to do so by state governors, on very rare occasions. Militarizing our response, as we saw in Washington, DC, creates a conflict, a false conflict, between the military and civil society,” Mattis wrote.

The president repeatedly defended his response to the protests and even tweeted later Thursday night that he had no problem with the National Guard helicopter that was seen flying low over protesters in Washington on Monday night.

The District of Columbia National Guard is investigating the matter, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper has also requested an investigation.

“The problem is not the very talented, low-flying helicopter pilots who want to save our city, the problem is arsonists, looters, criminals and anarchists, who want to destroy it (and our country)!” Trump tweeted.

The helicopter had a “declared mission” in part to “deter” criminal activity, including riots and looting, while maintaining a presence at the top, according to a defense official who has direct knowledge of the orders given to the crew. The official declined to be identified because the Washington National Guard is now investigating whether the flights were conducted properly.

The Lakota UH-72 was also supposed to deter “illegal gathering”, provide medical evacuation of the crowd if necessary, and provide surveillance to command and control force protection, the official said.

The investigation, the official said, focuses on how those orders resulted in low-level flights, which sent debris and intimidated civilians, the official said.