SecDef. Esper Breaks with Trump, Condemns Using Military Force Against Protestors

Zachary Cohen, reporting for CNN:

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Wednesday that he does not support using active duty troops to quell the large-scale protests across the United States triggered by the death of George Floyd and those forces should only be used in a law enforcement role as a last resort after President Donald Trump recently threatened to deploy the military to enforce order.

"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 during a briefing at the Pentagon.

The Insurrection Act of 1807 is a law that allows the federal government to deploy troops within the states. Its purpose is to protect the people from rebellions and insurgencies, not to oppress the people who are exercising their constitutional rights. Furthermore, legal scholars are divided on how the President could actually use the Insurrection Act, with many believing he would need a request for federal assistance from the states in question before he could utilize the act legally.

Esper also addressed the killing of Floyd, calling it a "horrible crime" and said "racism is real in America, and we must all do our very best to recognize it, to confront it, and to eradicate it."

"The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman is a horrible crime. The officers on the scene that day should be held accountable for his murder. It is a tragedy that we have seen repeat itself too many times. With great sympathy, I want to extend the deepest of condolences to the family and friends of George Floyd from me and the Department. Racism is real in America, and we must all do our very best to recognize it, to confront it, and to eradicate it," he said.

Defense officials told CNN this week that there was deep and growing discomfort among some in the Pentagon even before Trump announced Monday that he is ready to deploy the military to enforce order inside the US.

Anyone who has convinced themselves that Trump cares about our troops is fooling themselves. This is far from the first time he has deployed the military irresponsibly. He does so because he doesn’t value the sacrifices our troops make (hail President Bone Spurs), he does so because he is a coward, afraid of the power of the people (#bunkerDon), he does so because he likes the spectacle and badly wants to be seen as a wartime president (to the extent that he’d try to start a war).

It is a low bar, but it’s reassuring to see Esper clear it nonetheless. It is morally reprehensible and unconstitutional to stifle the people’s rights to protest (not to mention the blatant attacks on the free press).

I wonder how long until Trump comes up with a reason to fire Esper? Will that be good for our troops? Will it make us great? Stay tuned, The Shit Show will be right back after a message from one of our sponsors (queue NRA ad about protecting ourselves from the government).