Barely a day goes by when a disgruntled ex-Trump official tries to cash in on his/her short time in the spotlight in the easiest way possible — by trashing their former boss.
Trashing Donald Trump or “exposing” the inner workings of his White House is a surefire way to sell books and become relevant, even if you’re time within the administration was marred with failure and inaction.
Such is the case with Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who is currently making the rounds speaking out against Donald Trump.
Esper is speaking out against White House considerations for the invocation of the Insurrection Act to quell protests in June 2020, and then-President Donald Trump blamed him for taking that option off the table, according to Esper’s new memoir.
At the time, Trump was concerned about the destruction of America as Black Lives Matter protestors systematically burned down major cities across the country. He was seeking an alternative solution, one that could potentially get the military involved, and called on his Defense Secretary for assistance.
“I say this not only as secretary of defense, but also as a former soldier and a former member of the National Guard, 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 situations. We are not in one of those situations now,” Esper said at the Pentagon podium on June 3, 2020. “I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act.”
After the press conference, Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went to the White House and met with Trump and other administration officials, including White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in the Situation Room, according to the book.
“You betrayed me,” Trump yelled during the meeting.
Days earlier, Esper wrote he and Milley were in the White House as Trump contemplated how to react to the nationwide riots. Trump had already begun contemplating invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to deploy active-duty U.S. troops to cities across the country.
The two Defense Department leaders, as well as Attorney General William Barr, spoke out against the idea. Esper said local law enforcement was best suited to handle the situation. Trump then questioned whether soldiers could shoot to wound, but not kill, protesters, per the book.
Trump fired Esper in November 2020 after the presidential election and now he’s telling his side of the story.
He would do anything I wanted, that’s why I called him “Yesper.” He was a lightweight and figurehead, and I realized it very early on. He was recommended to me by some very weak RINOs and that is what he turned out to be.” – President Donald J. Trump
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) May 8, 2022
Author: Sebastian Hayworth
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