The former top officer of the U.S. military said he was “deeply grateful” to receive a preemptive pardon from outgoing President Joe Biden Monday.
Retired Army Gen. Mark A. Milley served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term. Their contentious relationship boiled over after Trump left office, with the then-former president suggesting in social media posts that Milley should face the death penalty.
“My family and I are deeply grateful for the President’s action today,” Milley said in a statement to USA Today provided by a spokesperson. “After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our Nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights.”
The retired general added that he wants to shield his family, friends and former colleagues − whom he also thanked in the statement − from the “distraction, expense, and anxiety” that a politically motivated prosecution could bring.
Milley declared he will “continue to keep faith and loyalty to our nation and the Constitution until my dying breath,” the statement said.
The former Green Beret publicly broke with Trump in the wake of the 2020 protests that followed George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.