Donald Trump’s attempt to militarize the US response to protests has been condemned by officials (File)
Washington:
President Donald Trump told his advisers at one point last week that he wanted 10,000 soldiers to be deployed in the Washington DC area to end civil unrest following the murder of a black man by police from Minneapolis, according to a senior American official.
The account of Trump’s request in a heated conversation at the Oval Office on Monday shows how close the President has been to his threat to deploy active duty troops, despite opposition from Pentagon leaders.
At the meeting, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, and Attorney General William Barr recommended against such a deployment, the official said under cover of anonymity. The meeting was “controversial,” added the official.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has since been pleased with National Guard deployments, the Pentagon-recommended option, and a more traditional tool for dealing with internal crises. Pentagon leaders rushed to call the governors with requests to send guard forces to Washington. Other federal law enforcement agencies were also mobilized.
But the key to Trump seems to have been the transition from Esper to the preposition – but not the deployment – of active duty soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division and other units in the Washington DC area in case they are needed. Since then, these troops have left.
“The availability of forces on active duty but not in the city was sufficient for the president at the time,” said the official.
Trump’s attempt to militarize the U.S. response to the protests has sparked condemnation from former U.S. military officials, including Trump’s first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, and retired four-star generals who, normally try to stay away from politics.
These comments reflect deep unease inside and outside the Pentagon with Trump’s willingness to inject the U.S. military into an inner race crisis after the murder of 46-year-old George Floyd, who died on May 25. after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck for nearly nine minutes. .
Floyd’s death led to protests and national introspection over the legacy of violence and abuse inflicted on African-Americans and other minorities.
It has also led some colored Pentagon leaders to issue unprecedented statements about their racial experiences in the U.S. military.
The future of Esper?
Esper publicly voiced opposition to the use of the insurgency law to deploy active duty forces on Wednesday – remarks to journalists who did not work well with Trump or his chief aides.
The top US official said Trump had yelled at Esper after the press conference.
As speculation revolved around whether the president could fire him, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said that Trump “remains confident in Secretary Esper”.
“Secretary Esper has helped secure the streets of our country and guarantee Americans peace and confidence in the security of their places of business, worship and their homes,” McEnany said in a statement.
Esper released a memo on Tuesday reminding Defense Department personnel “that we are committed to protecting the right of the American people to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly”.
Milley issued a similar statement reminding troops of their oath to the United States’ constitution, which protects the right to peaceful protests.
These statements by Milley and Esper came after being sharply criticized for using military planning terms like “combat space” to describe US protest sites during a conference call with state governors that Trump organized on Monday. , a recording of which leaked.
At the time, the Pentagon feared that Trump would deploy active duty troops if the governors did not employ the National Guard enough, the official said.
Esper and Milley were also criticized for accompanying Trump to a photo op in front of a church near the White House on Monday after police cleared the area by firing smoke grenades and irritating “pepperballs” and charging peaceful protesters.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
