James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump\u2019s Syria policy, has, ever since, kept studiously silent about Trump\u2019s performance as president. But he has now broken his silence, writing an extraordinary broadside in which he denounces the president for dividing the nation, and accuses him of ordering the U.S. military to violate the constitutional rights of American citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have watched this week\u2019s unfolding events, angry and appalled,\u201d Mattis writes. \u201cThe words \u2018Equal Justice Under Law\u2019 are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand\u2014one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values\u2014our values as people and our values as a nation.\u201d He goes on, \u201cWe must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n