Hundreds of West Point graduates Thursday published a letter criticizing military leaders for threatening to use the U.S. military as "weapons against fellow Americans" engaging in legitimate protests around the nation.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets last week following the death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody.
President Donald Trump called on state governors to pursue "total domination" amid violent crackdowns on protesters and journalists in cities across America and threatened to send the U.S. military if states did not do more to quell the unrest.
"By accepting your commission, you incur a moral purpose and obligation to provide for the common defense. In doing so you enable the nation to fulfill the full range of its aspirations," the concerned alumni wrote in the letter, published by Medium. "Today, our Constitutional aspirations remain unfulfilled."
"We are concerned that fellow graduates serving in senior-level, public positions are failing to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to Duty, Honor, Country," the letter reads in reference to Defense Secretary Mark Esper. "Their actions threaten the credibility of an apolitical military. We ask you to join us in working to right the wrongs and to hold each other accountable to the ideals instilled by our alma mater and affirmed by each of us at graduation."
Esper refused to support Trump's call to use active-duty troops to quell protests in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and elsewhere.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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