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“It is a wholesome and unifying demand – one 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 – our values as people and our values as a nation.”

Mattis criticized the administration for using force Monday to clear away peaceful protesters near the White House for Trump and top officials, including current Defense Secretary Mark Esper, to walk to a nearby church for a brief photo op.

Citing the oath he took to uphold the U.S. Constitution when he joined the military a half century ago, Mattis said he never imagined that American troops would be called on to violate the rights of citizens “to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.”

Without naming Esper, Mattis condemned his reported use of the word “battlespace” during a conference call Monday between Trump, administration officials and state governors to describe American cities experiencing riots.

“At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors,” Mattis said. “Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict — a false conflict — between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part.