sunday shows

Former Joint Chiefs chair says Mark Milley has 'more than made up for' Lafayette Square 'mistake'

Adm. Michael Mullen, a former chair of the Joint of Chiefs of Staff, told CBS News' John Dickerson on Sunday's edition of Face the Nation that he's long been worried about the politicization of the military in the United States, but suggested he's not concerned the current Joint Chiefs chair, Gen. Mark Milley, will play a role in that.

Milley was at the center of a controversy last summer when he was photographed walking alongside former President Donald Trump, who was passing through Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., so he could pose for a photograph holding a bible in front of a nearby church. The square had earlier been cleared of protesters, raising concerns over whether their right to assembly was violated in favor of Trump's photo op. 

"Gen. Milley spoke publicly very quickly thereafter and readily admitted he made a big mistake," Mullen said, adding that from then on Milley's "antenna was up" and "he knew the right thing to do" when an incident like the Jan. 6 Capitol riot took place. "I think he more than made up for that mistake," Mullen said.