Joint Chief Mark Milley Was ‘This Close’ to Quitting After Trump Demanded Troops Quash Protests, Book Says
‘SHAKEN’
Former DefSec Mark Esper says top general told him he nearly quit on the spot in the Oval Office at the unhinged president’s outburst during the George Floyd protests.
Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was left so “shaken” by then-President Donald Trump demanding troops quash 2020 George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C. that he nearly quit on the spot, a new book claims. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper writes in his new book, A Sacred Oath, that he and Milley had a “loud, contentious, and unreal” Oval Office meeting with Trump the day after the former president requested “10,000 troops” to stifle the protests, according to excerpts revealed by CNN. Following the meeting, he said, Milley told him privately that he was “this close” to stepping down. Milley was also said to be left “ashen” after Trump’s request for troops. In an interview with CNN late Monday, Esper said he had also considered resigning but decided not to out of fear he might be replaced by someone more willing to go along with Trump’s whims.
