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Mark.
A. Milley during the annual ceremony in memory of the September 11, 2001 attacks
Photo:
ERIN SCOTT / REUTERS
In a rare political statement, the General Staff of the US Armed Forces sharply condemned the storming of the Capitol by supporters of the elected President Donald Trump in a joint statement.
"Freedom of expression and the right of assembly do not give anyone the right to violence, riot and insurrection," wrote US Chief of Staff Mark Milley and his colleagues from the US military leadership in the statement, which was published on Tuesday.
Inside the Capitol there were scenes that clearly violated the rule of law.
“As members of the armed forces, we must embody the values and ideals of the nation,” it said.
Every act that is directed against the constitutional processes is "not only against our traditions, values, and our oath - it is against the law."
The military is committed to the law and will continue to defend the constitution.
The top generals emphasized in their letter that Joe Biden will be sworn in as the future US president and become the next commander-in-chief of the armed forces on January 20.
So it is in accordance with the constitution and so states and courts have confirmed it and Congress officially certified it.
The statement is a rare political statement by the US military leadership that usually stays out of day-to-day politics.
The top generals responded to the unprecedented attack on the Congress headquarters last week.
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