Defense Secretary Mark Esper Orders National Guard in D.C. to Disarm, Wear Soft Caps Instead of Helmets
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday ordered National Guard troops in Washington, DC, to disarm and wear soft caps instead of helmets, an official told Breitbart News on Friday afternoon.
The official said the president told Attorney General Bill Barr that he wanted the National Guard to be armed so that they could protect themselves from rioters and looters coming in to the city, but Esper on his own told the D.C. National Guard leadership to take the weapons of National Guardsmen who were coming in from other states.
“He’s not really on board with what the president is trying to do,” the official said.
The official said Esper also on his own directed the National Guard in D.C. to wear soft caps instead of helmets. Breitbart News queried the Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman on Friday afternoon, but he did not respond by deadline.
Photos on social media showed National Guardsmen in D.C. wearing soft caps:
The National Guard said in response to a query, “Guardsmen supporting the civil disturbance are unarmed.”
The move comes a day before there are expected to be hundreds of thousands of protesters taking part in demonstrations in Washington, DC, on Saturday.
Protests in recent days have been largely peaceful, but the president had fully-activated the National Guard in D.C. and requested help from other states after several days of looting, defacing national monuments, and the burning of a historic church just one block away from the White House. Dozens of Secret Service agents were also injured. Violence was also engulfing other major cities across the nation.
The Washington Post also reported that Esper disarmed National Guardsmen activated in D.C.: Photos
“Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper made the decision to disarm the guard without consulting the White House, after President Trump ordered a militarized show of force on the streets on the streets of Washington to quell demonstrations that were punctured by an episode of looting Sunday, two senior administration officials said. Trump had encouraged the National Guard to be armed.”
A spokeswoman for Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said McCarthy “directed” the disarming of the National Guard in D.C., but did not dispute that the order came from Esper.
“Earlier this week, Mr. McCarthy directed the National Guard to disarm,” said Army Lt. Col. Audricia Harris.
She said only roughly a dozen in the district were previously armed, and that they carried unloaded weapons with ammunition on their body.
Esper is reportedly on thin ice with Trump after the Pentagon secretary announced during a press conference on Wednesday that he did not support invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow active-duty forces to act in law enforcement roles.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that Esper had not consulted the president before making the announcement, to her knowledge. She also said that the president has the “sole” authority to invoke the Insurrection Act.
Trump has reportedly asked advisers whether he should replace Esper. Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-AR) name has been floated. He has advised the president to use military troops to restore order in cities that have seen riots in response to the death of George Floyd.
"All that the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government, as originally organized, should be administered in purity and truth." – Robert E. Lee
This Trump deals from a position of strength. You F up and he hits you hard. He wanted a show of strength, not putting the Guard out there to be made fools of. If they are armed no one will F with them. Un armed they are just soft targets. I agree fire his ass. NOW
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a welfare check, a forty ounce malt liquor, a crack pipe, an Obama phone, free health insurance. and some Air Jordan's and he votes Democrat for a lifetime.
Given the multitude of firings I have long wondered what Trumps interview process is, the clarity he provides of his expectations/requirements? Could be there just aren't folks that want to obey I suppose...
Nah, stay quiet a day or two, then personally march into his office and tell him to unass the building and have two security men perp walk him out! LOL!
Life Member NRA, RMEF, American Legion, MAGA. Not necessarily in that order.
As soon as he had his press conference i would have called him and told him not to bother going back to his office, someone would clean out his desk and deliver his stuff to his home. Revoke all his clearances and passes. If he raised a fuss, put him in detention for a couple of days.
Meh. Just fired. McCrystal conducted his resignation the same way with Obama. Instead of plainly resigning, they want to avoid looking like a quitter under pressure, so they uncharacteristically speak out against the CIC to get themselves fired. Esper probably thought the press statement would do it, but it didn’t, so there’s this.
“When debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.” - Socrates
Maybe he figured out that the surest way to a very high paying job as a media analyst is to demonstrate hate for the president.
Not a bad guess, but when the story is based on an anonymous official it's hard to take too seriously.
@jameslavish
If you work 40 hrs/wk: at 5% inflation and after 5 years, you need a 28% pay raise or to work 44 more hours (*one full extra week* per month+) to make up the difference.
