Former Defense Secretary James Mattis denounces President Trump as a threat to democracy in extraordinary statement. In a statement published by The Atlantic magazine, Mattis slammed Trump's decision to remove protesters from a park in front of the White House to walk across the street and pose with a Bible in front of a historic church, calling it an abuse of power. The Marine general also slammed the president for "Militarizing our response" to the protests. Ref. USAToday.