Democracy, Populism, & Domestic Politics, Power & Security, United States 89 former Defense officials: The military must never be used to violate constitutional rights

Perry World House's Director of Communications, John Gans, and our Visiting Fellows Derek Chollet and Alexander Vershbow, have joined 89 prominent former defense officials to sign a letter that appeared in The Washington Post, calling for the U.S. military never to be used to violate constitutional rights.

"Trump continues to use inflammatory language as many Americans protest the unlawful death of George Floyd and the unjust treatment of black Americans by our justice system," they wrote, arguing that the president's rhetoric has become more aggressive as the protests have grown.

The post's authors, 89 former defense officials including former defense secretaries Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Ashton Carter, and William Cohen, called Trump's pledge to send the US military into American cities to respond to unrest "shocking."

Read more in The Washington Post >>