As his defense of critical race theory and his desire to learn about “white rage” has set conservative circles on fire, Gen. Mark Milley is once again racking up another viral moment thanks to a new book excerpt where Milley reportedly pushed back on Donald Trump‘s attempts to unleash violence on Black Lives Matter protesters.
According to Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost by Wall Street Journal writer Michael C. Bender, Milley was present for a meeting where Trump proposed increasingly violent solutions to the protests brewing in Seattle and Portland. “Crack their skulls,” Trump reportedly said before ratcheting up his rhetoric to the point where Milley had to reel him in. Via CNN:
Trump also told his team that he wanted the military to go in and “beat the f–k out” of the civil rights protesters, Bender writes.
“Just shoot them,” Trump said on multiple occasions inside the Oval Office, according to the excerpts.
When Milley and then-Attorney General William Barr would push back, Trump toned it down, but only slightly, Bender adds.
“Well, shoot them in the leg—or maybe the foot,” Trump said. “But be hard on them!”
Things got more heated when Trump’s top advisor Stephen Miller joined the president’s calls for military force, and the situation reached a boiling point when Miller said, “These cities are burning.” According to the book, Gen. Milley, a seasoned veteran who led troops in combat, had enough of Miller not staying in his “lane” and let him have it.
“Shut the f–k up, Stephen,” Milley said. That phrase quickly became a trending topic on Thursday evening following CNN publishing the excerpt.
(Via CNN)