- Mark Esper’s urgings to governors to “dominate the battlespace” amid George Floyd protests were only meant as a show of support to the president, Pentagon officials told The Daily Beast.
- President Trump is considering invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 to quell violent protests. There are already at least 17,000 National Guard troops deployed nationwide.
- He is also talking about using tanks on the streets.
- Several governors and military officials have voiced concern at the use of miltary troops in civilian areas.
- The Pentagon is now distancing itself from Trump’s wish to send in troops regardless of states’ wishes, according to The Daily Beast.
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Having backed President Trump during a call to state governors, the Pentagon is increasingly distancing itself from his threats to mobilize troops to quell protest nationwide, according to The Daily Beast.
The president and Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke to state governors on Monday to urge them to request military assistance in the face of ongoing protests at the death of George Floyd.
According to a call leaked to the Washington Post, Esper told governors that the National Guard “stands ready” to assist and urged states to “dominate the battlespace” of protests that have turned violent.
Three unnamed Pentagon senior officials told The Beast that despite this call, they had not expected the president to act on it. They said that Esper spoke mainly as a show of support to the president, and had not expected a further deployment of troops.
Mark T. Esper. Getty Images
As of Monday morning, 17,000 National Guard troops had been deployed in 23 states and Washington DC. However, no state has requested assistance, subverting the normal process for domestic military intervention, Pentagon officials told The Beast.
Trump has also asked for detailed information on the kinds of military vehicles, including “tanks,” that could be deployed, Pentagon officials told The Beast.
A senior administration official said that this doesn’t necessarily mean Trump wants to send tanks, The Beast reported. “I think that is just one of the military words he knows,” the official reportedly said.
However, the rhetoric was amped up Tuesday in a highly symbolic move, when around 60 National Guard troops were stationed at the Lincoln Memorial in front of peaceful protesters.
—Martha Raddatz (@MarthaRaddatz) June 3, 2020
It followed a White House address on Monday night, in which the president declared himself the “president of law and order” and said he would invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 if a state “refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents.”
The Insurrection Act would allow the president to make a unilateral decision to send in further troops, circumventing governors’ objections.
New York’s Attorney General Letitia James also said she was willing to take the matter to court to resist troops, The Beast reported.
Pentagon officials are aware of at least three governors dealing with active protests who have privately pleaded with the department not to send troops, saying it would only inflame things further, The Beast reported. As of Tuesday morning, around 5,600 people had been arrested nationwide in the protests.
Demonstrators against the death of George Floyd join hands Thursday, May 28, 2020, in St. Paul, Minnesota. AP Photo/John Minchillo
The revelation to The Beast reflects unease amongst some military leaders at the deployments.
One unnamed defense official told CNN that “there is an intense desire for local law enforcement to be in charge.” Army Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden, the adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard, said that while his troops were “honored” to be deployed, he said it is not a situation Americans should “get used to.”
Esper has also said that he didn’t know where he was heading when he accompanied the president to the now-infamous photo opportunity at St John’s Episcopal Church. He also washed his hands of any foreknowledge that protesters had been forcibly cleared from the area.
