Defense Secretary Mark Esper opposes Trump on use of military in riots
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he opposes the use of the military to quell violence in US cities, a stance that runs counter to President Trump’s vow to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 in states with uncontrolled looting.
Esper also said at a morning press conference he was unaware that he was joining Trump on Monday for what the Pentagon chief called a “photo op” at a church damaged by fire during protests against the killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police.
“I say this not only as secretary of defense, but also as a former soldier, and a former member of the National Guard: The option to use active-duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations. We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act,” Esper said.
The news conference came after Esper faced criticism for joining Trump at the church near the White House following a Rose Garden speech where Trump said he would “deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem” if state and local officials didn’t act.
Shortly before that visit, authorities cleared the area of protesters using smoke canisters and pepper balls, though US Park Police say it was because they were attacked while attempting to install a new fence.
“I did know that we were going to the church. I was not aware a photo op was happening,” Esper said.
“Of course the president drags a large press pool along with him. Look, I do everything I can to try and stay apolitical and try and stay out of situations that may appear political and sometimes I’m successful at doing that, and sometimes I’m not as successful.”
The defense secretary’s remarks ended with his announcement that he would be going immediately to the White House, inviting broad speculation that he might offer to resign or be fired.
Hours later, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Esper remained in his position. “As of right now, Secretary Esper is still Secretary Esper and should the president lose faith, we will all learn about that in the future,” McEnany said.
In his morning remarks, Esper also told reporters that he ordered Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy to review the use of at least one low-flying DC National Guard helicopter on Monday night as a form of crowd control in Washington’s Chinatown neighborhood and nearby Judiciary Square.
Esper said “it looks unsafe to me” but that he needs more information.
“You made a statement that it was to intimidate protesters. I got a report back that they were asked by law enforcement to look at a checkpoint, a National Guard checkpoint, to see if there were protesters around, so there’s conflicting reports,” Esper said.
The helicopter first swooped low as activists marched south on 7th Street through a largely boarded-up commercial street north of the National Mall. It followed the crowd multiple blocks south and then east to 5th Street, where high winds and flying debris forced protesters to crouch down. It appeared a second helicopter replaced the first.
After the aircraft left, activists spray-painted a federal courthouse and smashed the headquarters of the Teamsters union, which represents some law enforcement officers. Police repelled and ultimately splintered the crowd.
Esper said Wednesday that he sympathizes with the cause of protesters and that he hopes “we will see peaceful demonstrations that honor George Floyd, that press for accountability for his murder” while condemning “racism that exists in America.”
“What happened to George Floyd happens way too often in this country, and most times we don’t speak about these matters as a department,” he said.
Esper sought to clarify his recent controversial advice to state leaders that they should “dominate the battlespace” to control nationwide violence and looting.
“It is part of our military lexicon that I grew up with,” he said. “And it’s what we tend to use to describe a bounded area of operations. It’s not a phrase focused on people, and certainly not on our fellow Americans, as some have suggested.”