'Angry and appalled': ex-defence chief Mattis rips Trump for dividing Americans

Washington: In an extraordinary rebuke, former defence secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday denounced President Donald Trump's heavy-handed use of military force to quell protests and said his former boss was setting up a "false conflict" between the military and civilian society.

Trump said he had given Mattis "a new life, things to do, and battles to win," when he hired him, but but "I didn’t like his “leadership” style or much else about him, and many others agree.

The criticism was all the more remarkable because Mattis has generally kept a low profile since retiring as defence secretary in December 2018 to protest Trump's Syria policy.

Mattis said of the protesters that Americans should not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers.

"The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values - our values as people and our values as a nation," Mattis said

Mattis took particular issue with the use of force to move back protesters so Trump could visit St