Monday 8 August 2022 03:40 PM Mark Milley drafted resignation letter saying Trump was 'doing great and ... trends now Trump asked 'why can't my generals' be more like the Nazis and be absolutely loyal in new book that reveals Mark Milley drafted a resignation letter saying ex-President was 'doing great and irreparable harm' to the US By Morgan Phillips, Politics Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 15:33 BST, 8 August 2022 | Updated: 15:39 BST, 8 August 2022 Viewcomments Former President Trump complained that U.S. military generals were not 'loyal' like Nazis in one of a series of erratic outbursts that almost caused Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley to resign. One week after the riots of June 2020, where Milley, an Army General, came under fire for marching with Trump in uniform toward St. Joseph's Church - before peeling off as he realized the impropriety of his own presence - the chairman drafted his resignation letter, but did not send it. Resigning would have been a highly unusual move, as those in military posts serve the nation before any political party. After seeking counsel from those across the political and military sphere, Milley decided not to send the damning resignation letter. 'The events of the last couple weeks have caused me to do deep soul-searching, and I can no longer faithfully support and execute your orders as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,' Milley wrote in the letter, according to a new book. 'It is my belief that you were doing great and irreparable harm to my country.' Milley chats with former President Trump after he delivered the State of the Union in February 2020 Milley took criticism for marching with Trump in combat fatigues toward a photo op at St. Joseph's Church during the police brutality protests of 2020 The details were provided in a forthcoming book,'The Divider: Trump in The White House' from New York Times writer Peter Baker and The New Yorker's Susan Glasser. Excerpts of the book were published in The New Yorker. Dressed in combat fatigues, Milley had originally marched with Trump and a cadre of officials toward St. Joseph's, the Episcopalian church across from the White House that had been vandalized during police brutality protests after George Floyd's death. Milley peeled off from the crew before they reached the church. There, Trump posed with a Bible out front - a photo op that was meant to display forceful opposition to the protests ravaging the country. 'You are using the military to create fear in the minds of the people—and we are trying to protect the American people,' Milley said. 'I cannot stand idly by and participate in that attack, verbally or otherwise, on the American people.' Hours before the photo op, Trump had sparred with Milley, Attorney General William Barr, and the Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, over demands to bring in the U.S. military to quell protests - Trump wanted to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 a to bring in active-duty troops to be used against Americans. 'We look weak,' Trump said. He demanded that Milley take charge, but Milley and others resisted, arguing the National Guard would be sufficient. 'You are all losers! You are all fucking losers!' Trump shouted at Milley and the others. He then asked Milley why the military couldn't shoot protesters. 'Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?' The remarks echoed similar sentiment Trump had expressed to his then-chief of staff retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly. 'You fucking generals, why can't you be like the German generals?' 'Which generals?' Kelly asked. 'The German generals in World War II,' Trump responded. 'You do know that they tried to kill Hitler three times and almost pulled it off?' Kelly said. 'No, no, no, they were totally loyal to him,' Trump insisted. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility