Is Mark Esper's position a walk-back of presidential remarks, a sign of chaos, or insubordination? ed_kilgore writes
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper speaks out. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP/Shutterstock One of the more alarming moments in President Trump’s angry call for law and order earlier this week in response to widespread protests over the death of George Floyd was this passage, which came after a demand that state and local authorities deploy enough force to “dominate” protesters:
This was clearly a reference to the rare presidential option of invoking the Insurrection Act, the sole circumstance in which U.S. armed forces personnel can be deployed domestically in a law enforcement capacity . Trump had hinted at this in a call with governors earlier on Monday, in which he sounded “unhinged.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he does not support invoking a law that would allow President Trump to use the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement amid nationwide protests surrounding the death of George Floyd….“I’ve always believed and continue to believe that the National Guard is best suited for performing domestic support to civil authorities in these situations in support of local law enforcement,” Esper said at a news conference Wednesday.
Esper is likely under significant pressure from military leaders to restrain the president on this issue; many are deeply uncomfortable with the idea of troops being deployed domestically. That unease was reflected in a most unusual article in The Atlantic this week by retired admiral Mike Mullen, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Bush and Obama administrations:
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