The Pentagon’s top leaders are going before Congress for the first time in months to face a long list of controversies, including their differences with President Donald Trump over the handling of protests near the White House last month during unrest triggered by the killing of George Floyd in police hands.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be testifying before the House on Thursday.
Mr. Trump’s push for an aggressive response to the civil unrest led to an extraordinary clash with Mr. Esper and Gen. Milley, who on June 1 accompanied the President when he walked from the White House to St. John’s Church on Lafayette Square. That day, a National Guard helicopter was flown at extremely low altitude to help disperse protesters, prompting a Pentagon investigation into whether that was a proper use of military resources.
