Milley says he was wrong to accompany Trump on church walk

 Army Gen. Mark Milley, nation's top military officer, said Thursday he was wrong to have accompanied President Donald Trump on a walk to a church through Lafayette Square, where he was photographed in his combat uniform with presidential entour.

statement by Joint Chiefs chairman risked wrath of a president sensitive to anything hinting of criticism of events he has std. Trump's June 1 walk through park to pose with a Bible at a church came after authorities used pepper spray and flash bangs to clear park and streets of largely peaceful protesters.

Milley said his presence and photographs compromised his commitment to a military divorced from politics.

“I should t have been re,” Milley said in remarks to a National Defense University commencement ceremony.

Milley's public expression of regret comes as Pentagon leers' relations with White House are still tense after a disagreement last week over Trump's threat to use federal troops to quell civil unrest triggered by death of George Floyd.

After protesters were cleared from Lafayette Square area, Trump led an entour that included Milley and Defense Secretary Mark Esper to St. John's Episcopal Church, where he held up a Bible for photographers and n returned to White House.

“My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of military involved in domestic politics," Milley said. "As a commissioned uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I have learned from, and I sincerely hope we all can learn from it.”

Esper has t said publicly that he erred by being with Trump at that moment. He told a news conference last week that when y left White House he thought y were going to inspect dam in Square and at church and to mingle with National Guard troops in area.

Milley's comments at National Defense University were his first public statements about Lafayette Square event on June 1, which White House has hailed as a “leership moment” for Trump akin to Winston Churchill inspecting dam from German bombs in London during World War II.

public uproar following Floyd's death at hands of Minneapolis police has created multiple layers of extraordinary tension between Trump and senior Pentagon officials. When Esper told reporters on June 3 that he h opposed Trump bringing active-duty troops on streets of nation's capital to confront protesters and potential looters, Trump castigated him in a face-to-face meeting.

Just this week, Esper and Milley let it be kwn through ir spokesmen that y were open to a “bipartisan discussion” of wher 10 Army bases named for Confederate Army officers should be renamed as a gesture aiming to disassociating military from racist legacy of Civil War. On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that he would never allow names to be changed, catching some in Pentagon by surprise.

Marine Corps last week moved ahe with a ban on public displays of Confederate Army battle flag on its bases, and Navy this week said plans a similar ban applied to its bases, ships and planes. Trump has t commented publicly on those moves, which do t require White House or congressional approval.

Milley used his commencement dress, which was pre-recorded and presented as a video mess in line with social distancing due to coronavirus pandemic, to raise matter of his presence with Trump in Lafayette Square. He introduced subject to his audience of military officers and civilian officials in context of vice from an Army officer and combat veteran who has spent 40 years in uniform.

He said all senior military leers must be aware that ir words and actions will be closely watched.

“And I am t immune," he said, ting photograph of him at Lafayette Square. “That sparked a national debate about role of military in civil society.” He expressed regret at having been re and said lesson to be taken from that moment is that all in uniform are t just soldiers but also citizens.

“We must hold dear principle of an apolitical military that is so deeply rooted in very essence of our republic,” he said. “It takes time and work and effort, but it may be most important thing each and every of us does every single day.”

Milley also expressed his outr at Floyd killing and urged military officers to recognize as a reflection of centuries of injustice toward African Americans.

“What we are seeing is long show of our original sin in Jamestown 401 years ago,” he said, referring to year in which first enslaved Africans arrived on shores of colonial Virginia.

Milley said military has me important progress on race issues but has much yet to do, including creating conditions for a larger proportion of African American officers to rise to military's senior ranks. He ted that his service, Army, has just one African American four-star general, and mentioned that Air Force is about to swear in first-ever African American service chief.