Defense Secretary Mark Esper Splits With Trump On Using Military To Quell Protests

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Wednesday that he does not support using military force to quell protests that have erupted since the death of George Floyd, CNN reported.

For well over a week now, protests have been taking place in cities across the country in the wake of the death of an unarmed African American man in police custody. In some cases, the protests have turned violent, devolving into riots, looting, and exchanges of gunfire. Similarly, in some of those protests, police have responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and other military tactics. Some governors have called for the National Guard to restore order.

In Washington, D.C., as The Inquisitr previously reported, a low-flying helicopter was used to disperse crowds, a tactic that is sometimes used in war.

President Trump has been clear that more military force should be used to quell the protests, going so far as calling on governors to deploy the National Guard to “dominate” the streets. As Business Insider reported, he has even suggested the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807.

The centuries-old law allows the president, in his role as commander in chief of the armed forces, to deploy the military to put down violence and enforce civil law. It was last evoked in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots that erupted following the Rodney King verdict.

“If the city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residence, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,” Trump said.

Speaking during a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday, Esper was clear that he does not support invoking the law to put down the George Floyd protests.

“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,” he said.

Esper is joined by other military officials in disagreeing with the notion of invoking the Insurrection Act. For example, retired U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tweeted that troops should not be put into the position of having to act as if America is itself a battleground, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, and that the American people are not the troops’ enemies.