A group of former civilian officials who served in diplomatic and national security roles issued an open letter criticizing the Trump administration’s response to nationwide protests over racial injustice.
“Our military is composed of and represents all of America. Misuse of the military for political purposes would weaken the fabric of our democracy, denigrate those who serve in uniform to protect and defend the Constitution, and undermine our nation’s strength abroad,” the former officials said.
The list of people who signed the letter, which was published last week, would have included current diplomats, said Tom Countryman, a former assistant secretary of state who helped organize the effort, but they were left out to protect them from being fired.
In another open letter, former officials who specialized in conflict resolution warned that the United States is “dangerously close to erupting into nation-wide violence.”
“The Administration’s move to deploy heavily armed and varied federal law enforcement units including prison guards, not trained to police peaceful citizen protest, is provocative and dangerous,” the letter said. “In other countries, the [U.S. government] would likely protest such actions through its diplomatic channels.”
The letters were prompted by the use of federal authorities in forcibly removing protesters from Lafayette Square on June 1 to allow President Trump to pose for photos in front of a church near the White House.
On Sunday, Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy confirmed that out-of-state National Guard units would be withdrawn from Washington, and active-duty U.S. troops that had been put on alert outside the city earlier in the week had left.
In a rapidly evolving political landscape, it is unclear how widely the letters reflect sentiment among current government officials or whether they are the vanguard of a new wave of civilian condemnations.
“Even in retirement, Foreign Service officers will be very reluctant to wade into issues of domestic politics,” Countryman said. “We’ve seen this film elsewhere. We know what an extraordinary danger it is to democracy and felt we had to speak out. But it’s important for us not to overuse this in order to keep the focus on what a crucial turning point this is.”
Rachel Locke, who worked in the Obama administration at USAID’s Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation, said she thinks the mood has shifted, as people appalled by the use of the military for perceived political reasons search for ways to effect change.
“You need to have politicians, you need to have civil society show up for that,” she said. “There was a period when people were really frightened, not by protests, but by what was happening to our country and how the administration would polarize the rift in a way that’s detrimental to the institutions of democracy. Now you see it going from ‘Oh, my God’ to ‘This is really hopeful’ and how we can make change happen?”
Most of the criticism is likely to come from people who served in previous administrations and now work for think tanks or other nongovernmental institutions. Within the State Department, the ethos is to be nonpartisan or quit, so few current officials express their opinions publicly.
Privately, some acknowledge that they were “aghast and enraged” by the sight of the Guard at Lafayette Square and the Lincoln Memorial, said Nancy McEldowney, former head of the Foreign Service Institute.
“Many current officials have told me how devastated they were by this turn of events — and how equally determined they are to ensure that Trump did not undermine our democracy,” she said.
Some embassies are showing subtle signs of sympathy with the protesters, who have decried the killing of George Floyd, a black man, who died in Minneapolis after being pinned at the neck under a white police officer’s knee.
“We are deeply troubled by the death of Mr. George Floyd in Minneapolis,” said a statement by the embassy in Kenya. “The U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a full criminal investigation as a top priority. Law enforcement officials must be held accountable in every country.”
Brian A. Nichols, the U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, adopted a personal tone in a letter he released urging Zimbabwe’s government to stop state-sponsored violence against activists.
“As an African American, for as long as I can remember I have known that my rights and my body were not fully my own,” he wrote. “I have always known that America, conceived in liberty, has always aspired to be better — a shining city on a hill — and that’s why I have dedicated my life to her service.”
At the urging of senior management, several bureaus within the State Department have started hosting virtual meetings in which staff members address issues of racial inequity.
More introspection is needed, said a currently serving diplomat who is irritated by some of the criticism coming from foreign countries where racism is also a problem.
“Hold on, give America a chance,” said the diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be frank. “We will get this right. We will reaffirm our moral authority. I’m optimistic. We will come out of this stronger.”
