Baltimore police officers kneel in solidarity with protesters at City Hall in Baltimore on June 1. Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo
Wednesday, June 03, 2020
BLM POLICE SOLIDARITY
Baltimore police officers kneel in solidarity with protesters at City Hall in Baltimore on June 1. Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo
Pentagon science adviser quits over security tactics for Trump church photos
By Don Jacobson
President Donald Trump walks from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., on Monday. At the church, Trump posed while holding a Bible. The security tactics used for Trump's walk to the church have generated much controversy. Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo
June 3 (UPI) -- A Pentagon adviser has resigned from his post in protest over Defense Secretary Mike Esper's involvement in a controversial photo opportunity and tactics used to snap a picture of President Donald Trump in front of a historic Washington, D.C., church.
James Miller, who served as under secretary of defense for policy from 2012 to 2014, resigned from his position on the Pentagon's science board Tuesday in a letter published by The Washington Post.
Miller cited Monday's photos at the historic St. John's Episcopal Church, which were preceded by federal law enforcement officers forcefully clearing peaceful protesters from the area so Trump could walk there. In the photos, Trump is holding a Bible.
Moments earlier, Trump had threatened to deploy active-duty U.S. military troops to states that failed to "solve" their violent demonstrations.
RELATED House defense committee chair demands clarity on potential domestic military use
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser called the tactics "shameful" and Rev. Mariann Budde, the district's Episcopal bishop, said she was "outraged" and was given no notice the church would be used "as a prop."
President Donald Trump walks from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., on Monday. At the church, Trump posed while holding a Bible. The security tactics used for Trump's walk to the church have generated much controversy. Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI
In his resignation letter, Miller said Esper violated his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution by "visibly supporting" Trump's photo plan.
"Law-abiding protesters just outside the White House were dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets -- not for the sake of safety, but to clear a path for a presidential photo op" he said. "You (Esper) then accompanied President Trump in walking from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church for that photo."
Trump's actions, Miller said, "violated his oath to 'take care that the laws be faithfully executed," as well as the First Amendment right of the people to peaceably assemble.
"You may not have been able to stop President Trump from directing this appalling use of force, but you could have chosen to oppose it. Instead, you visibly supported it."
Esper told NBC News he didn't know beforehand that Trump would walk to the church. He said he thought they were going to view damage cased by violent protesters and speak with federal troops.
RELATED George Floyd protests: Pentagon moves 1,600 troops to D.C. area
CNN reported that U.S. Attorney General William Barr had ordered the removal of protesters who'd gathered near the White House. Authorities had planned to secure a wide perimeter for the walk, but Barr gave the order for the demonstrators to be cleared when he saw the crowds, CNN's report said.
U.S. Park Police said their move to clear Lafayette Square, north of the White House, before the start a scheduled curfew on Monday was unrelated to Trump's visit to the church.
Some top Republican U.S. Senators have supported Trump's move. A "sense of Congress" resolution condemning his actions failed to achieve unanimous consent after Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell objected because it didn't sufficiently condemn rioting.
By Don Jacobson
President Donald Trump walks from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., on Monday. At the church, Trump posed while holding a Bible. The security tactics used for Trump's walk to the church have generated much controversy. Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo
June 3 (UPI) -- A Pentagon adviser has resigned from his post in protest over Defense Secretary Mike Esper's involvement in a controversial photo opportunity and tactics used to snap a picture of President Donald Trump in front of a historic Washington, D.C., church.
James Miller, who served as under secretary of defense for policy from 2012 to 2014, resigned from his position on the Pentagon's science board Tuesday in a letter published by The Washington Post.
Miller cited Monday's photos at the historic St. John's Episcopal Church, which were preceded by federal law enforcement officers forcefully clearing peaceful protesters from the area so Trump could walk there. In the photos, Trump is holding a Bible.
Moments earlier, Trump had threatened to deploy active-duty U.S. military troops to states that failed to "solve" their violent demonstrations.
RELATED House defense committee chair demands clarity on potential domestic military use
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser called the tactics "shameful" and Rev. Mariann Budde, the district's Episcopal bishop, said she was "outraged" and was given no notice the church would be used "as a prop."
President Donald Trump walks from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., on Monday. At the church, Trump posed while holding a Bible. The security tactics used for Trump's walk to the church have generated much controversy. Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI
In his resignation letter, Miller said Esper violated his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution by "visibly supporting" Trump's photo plan.
"Law-abiding protesters just outside the White House were dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets -- not for the sake of safety, but to clear a path for a presidential photo op" he said. "You (Esper) then accompanied President Trump in walking from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church for that photo."
Trump's actions, Miller said, "violated his oath to 'take care that the laws be faithfully executed," as well as the First Amendment right of the people to peaceably assemble.
"You may not have been able to stop President Trump from directing this appalling use of force, but you could have chosen to oppose it. Instead, you visibly supported it."
Esper told NBC News he didn't know beforehand that Trump would walk to the church. He said he thought they were going to view damage cased by violent protesters and speak with federal troops.
RELATED George Floyd protests: Pentagon moves 1,600 troops to D.C. area
CNN reported that U.S. Attorney General William Barr had ordered the removal of protesters who'd gathered near the White House. Authorities had planned to secure a wide perimeter for the walk, but Barr gave the order for the demonstrators to be cleared when he saw the crowds, CNN's report said.
U.S. Park Police said their move to clear Lafayette Square, north of the White House, before the start a scheduled curfew on Monday was unrelated to Trump's visit to the church.
Some top Republican U.S. Senators have supported Trump's move. A "sense of Congress" resolution condemning his actions failed to achieve unanimous consent after Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell objected because it didn't sufficiently condemn rioting.
WE ARE ALLIES, WE ARE COMRADES,
WE ARE FELLOW WORKERS TOO
MOST IMPORTANTLY WE ARE IN SOLIDARITY
WITH BLACK LIVES MATTER
WE CALL THAT SOLIDARITY UNIONISM
AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL
Responding to a request to protect black demonstrators, white demonstrators form a perimeter at City Hall in Baltimore on June 1. Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo
AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL
Responding to a request to protect black demonstrators, white demonstrators form a perimeter at City Hall in Baltimore on June 1. Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo
TRAFALGAR SQUARE LONDON
THE WHOLE MILLENNIAL WORLD HAS BECOME WOKE TO IMPERIALISM, RACISM, AND COLONIALISM
THAT THOSE THE EMPIRES HAVE EXPLOITED TO CREATE CAPITALISM HAVE STILL NOT SEEN REPARATIONS WORLD WIDE FOR THE CRIME OF COLONIALISM
BOSTON GENERAL HOSPITAL
ITALY
TRIBAL TERRITORIES
\
PLASTIC BOTTLES VS SWAT
THESE ARE THE DREADED PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES
THEY TERRIFY HEAVILY ARMOURED RIOT COPS
WHO RESPOND IN KIND WITH RUBBER BULLETS, TEARGAS, PEPPERBALLS, BATONS AND SHIELDS WHILE WEARING KEVLAR BODY ARMOUR, HELMETS,
GAS MASKS.
THEY TERRIFY HEAVILY ARMOURED RIOT COPS
WHO RESPOND IN KIND WITH RUBBER BULLETS, TEARGAS, PEPPERBALLS, BATONS AND SHIELDS WHILE WEARING KEVLAR BODY ARMOUR, HELMETS,
GAS MASKS.
YES FOLKS YOU AND I BOTH KNOW
THAT RIOT COPS FEAR OF
PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES,
FULL OR EMPTY,
IS JUST THEIR EXCUSE
FOR BOYS TO USE THEIR TOYS!
NBA coach Gregg Popovich says ‘if Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people’
Spurs coach and other members of the sports world, like LeBron James and Michael Jordan, have been vocal supporters of protesters
Head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs calls a play during an NBA game. CHRISTIAN PETERSEN
Head coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs calls a play during an NBA game. CHRISTIAN PETERSEN
Published: June 2, 2020
“It’s unbelievable. If Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people. But he doesn’t care about bringing people together. ”
That’s future Hall of Fame basketball coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs, in an interview with The Nation addressing President Donald Trump’s reaction to the events surrounding the death of George Floyd.
“The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism, and we’ve seen it all before, but nothing changes. That’s why these protests have been so explosive. But without leadership and an understanding of what the problem is, there will never be change,” Popovich said. “And white Americans have avoided reckoning with this problem forever, because it’s been our privilege to be able to avoid it. That also has to change.”
The Spurs coach has not been shy about vocalizing his political beliefs in the past, and has been an outspoken Trump critic for years.
See also: Michael Jordan and many current NBA players express their anger and frustration over the death of George Floyd
“It’s unbelievable. If Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people. But he doesn’t care about bringing people together. ”
That’s future Hall of Fame basketball coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs, in an interview with The Nation addressing President Donald Trump’s reaction to the events surrounding the death of George Floyd.
“The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism, and we’ve seen it all before, but nothing changes. That’s why these protests have been so explosive. But without leadership and an understanding of what the problem is, there will never be change,” Popovich said. “And white Americans have avoided reckoning with this problem forever, because it’s been our privilege to be able to avoid it. That also has to change.”
The Spurs coach has not been shy about vocalizing his political beliefs in the past, and has been an outspoken Trump critic for years.
See also: Michael Jordan and many current NBA players express their anger and frustration over the death of George Floyd
“It’s so clear what needs to be done. We need a president to come out and say simply that ‘black lives matter.’ Just say those three words,” he said.
In recent days, protests have erupted across the U.S. demanding justice for Floyd and calling for an end to racial discrimination in the country. Many athletes, from LeBron James to Michael Jordan, have voiced support for those protesting.
In recent days, protests have erupted across the U.S. demanding justice for Floyd and calling for an end to racial discrimination in the country. Many athletes, from LeBron James to Michael Jordan, have voiced support for those protesting.
U.S. sees calmest protests in days
AS ANGRY PROTESTERS RESPOND TO TRUMPS MILITARY ATTACK ON PEACEFUL PROTESTERS
AS ANGRY PROTESTERS RESPOND TO TRUMPS MILITARY ATTACK ON PEACEFUL PROTESTERS
Published: June 3, 2020 Associated Press
WHITE Protesters denouncing police brutality and systemic racism are kept in place on the Manhattan Bridge by police for hours during a citywide curfew in New York City on June 2, 2020. GETTY IMAGES
WASHINGTON (AP) — Protests were largely peaceful and the nation’s streets were calmer than they have been in days since the killing of George Floyd set off demonstrations that at times brought violence and destruction along with pleas to stop police brutality and injustice against African Americans.
There were scattered reports of looting in New York City overnight, and as of Wednesday morning there had been over 9,000 arrests nationwide since the unrest began following Floyd’s death May 25 in Minneapolis. But there was a marked quiet compared with the unrest of the past few nights, which included fires and shootings in some cities.
The calmer night came as many cities intensified their curfews, with authorities in New York and Washington ordering people off streets while it was still daylight.
A block away from the White House, thousands of demonstrators massed following a crackdown a day earlier when officers on foot and horseback aggressively drove peaceful protesters away from Lafayette Park, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to do a photo op at nearby St. John’s Church. Tuesday’s protesters faced law enforcement personnel who stood behind a black chain-link fence that was put up overnight to block access to the park.
“Last night pushed me way over the edge,” said Jessica DeMaio, 40, of Washington, who attended a Floyd protest Tuesday for the first time. “Being here is better than being at home feeling helpless.”
Pastors at the church prayed with demonstrators and handed out water bottles. The crowd remained in place after the city’s 7 p.m. curfew passed, defying warnings that the response from law enforcement could be even more forceful. But the crowd Tuesday was peaceful, even polite. At one point, the crowd booed when a protester climbed a light post and took down a street sign. A chant went up: “Peaceful protest!”
Pope Francis on Wednesday called for national reconciliation and peace.
Francis said that he has ‘’witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest’’ in the United States in recent days.
“My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,’’ the pope said during his weekly Wednesday audience, held in the presence of bishops due to coronavirus restrictions on gatherings.
Trump, meanwhile, amplified his hard-line calls from Monday, when he threatened to send in the military to restore order if governors didn’t do it.
“NYC, CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD,” he tweeted. “The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart. Act fast!”
Thousands of people remained in the streets of New York City Tuesday night, undeterred by an 8 p.m. curfew, though most streets were clear by early Wednesday other than police who were patrolling some areas. Midtown Manhattan was pocked with battered storefronts after Monday’s protests.
Protests also passed across the U.S., including in Los Angeles, Miami, St. Paul, Minnesota, Columbia, South Carolina and Houston, where the police chief talked to peaceful demonstrators, vowing reforms.
“God as my witness, change is coming,” Art Acevedo said. “And we’re going to do it the right way.”
More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence. New York is not among them, and Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he does not want the Guard. On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo called what happened in the city “a disgrace.”
“The NYPD and the mayor did not do their job last night,” Cuomo said at a briefing in Albany.
He said the mayor underestimated the problem, and the nation’s largest police force was not deployed in sufficient numbers, though the city had said it doubled the usual police presence.
Tuesday marked the eighth straight night of the protests, which began after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck while the handcuffed black man called out that he couldn’t breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been fired and charged with murder.
The mother of George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna, said she wanted the world to know that her little girl lost a good father.
“I want everybody to know that this is what those officers took,” Roxie Washington said during a Minneapolis news conference with her young daughter at her side. “I want justice for him because he was good. No matter what anybody thinks, he was good.”
Some protesters framed the burgeoning movement as a necessity after a string of killings by police.
“It feels like it’s just been an endless cascade of hashtags of black people dying, and it feels like nothing’s really being done by our political leaders to actually enact real change,” said Christine Ohenzuwa, 19, who attended a peaceful protest at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul. “There’s always going to be a breaking point. I think right now, we’re seeing the breaking point around the country.”
“I live in this state. It’s really painful to see what’s going on, but it’s also really important to understand that it’s connected to a system of racial violence,” she said.
Meanwhile, governors and mayors, Republicans and Democrats alike, rejected Trump’s threat to send in the military, with some saying troops would be unnecessary and others questioning whether the government has such authority and warning that such a step would be dangerous.
A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the president is not rushing to send in the military and that his goal was to pressure governors to deploy more National Guard members.
Such use of the military would mark a stunning federal intervention rarely seen in modern American history.
Amid the protests, nine states and the District of Columbia held presidential primaries that tested the nation’s ability to run elections while balancing a pandemic and sweeping social unrest. Joe Biden won hundreds more delegates and was on the cusp of formally securing the Democratic presidential nomination.
Also Tuesday, Minnesota opened an investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against minorities.
___
Sullivan reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press journalists across the U.S. contributed to this report
WHITE Protesters denouncing police brutality and systemic racism are kept in place on the Manhattan Bridge by police for hours during a citywide curfew in New York City on June 2, 2020. GETTY IMAGES
WASHINGTON (AP) — Protests were largely peaceful and the nation’s streets were calmer than they have been in days since the killing of George Floyd set off demonstrations that at times brought violence and destruction along with pleas to stop police brutality and injustice against African Americans.
There were scattered reports of looting in New York City overnight, and as of Wednesday morning there had been over 9,000 arrests nationwide since the unrest began following Floyd’s death May 25 in Minneapolis. But there was a marked quiet compared with the unrest of the past few nights, which included fires and shootings in some cities.
The calmer night came as many cities intensified their curfews, with authorities in New York and Washington ordering people off streets while it was still daylight.
A block away from the White House, thousands of demonstrators massed following a crackdown a day earlier when officers on foot and horseback aggressively drove peaceful protesters away from Lafayette Park, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to do a photo op at nearby St. John’s Church. Tuesday’s protesters faced law enforcement personnel who stood behind a black chain-link fence that was put up overnight to block access to the park.
“Last night pushed me way over the edge,” said Jessica DeMaio, 40, of Washington, who attended a Floyd protest Tuesday for the first time. “Being here is better than being at home feeling helpless.”
Pastors at the church prayed with demonstrators and handed out water bottles. The crowd remained in place after the city’s 7 p.m. curfew passed, defying warnings that the response from law enforcement could be even more forceful. But the crowd Tuesday was peaceful, even polite. At one point, the crowd booed when a protester climbed a light post and took down a street sign. A chant went up: “Peaceful protest!”
Pope Francis on Wednesday called for national reconciliation and peace.
Francis said that he has ‘’witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest’’ in the United States in recent days.
“My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,’’ the pope said during his weekly Wednesday audience, held in the presence of bishops due to coronavirus restrictions on gatherings.
Trump, meanwhile, amplified his hard-line calls from Monday, when he threatened to send in the military to restore order if governors didn’t do it.
“NYC, CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD,” he tweeted. “The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart. Act fast!”
Thousands of people remained in the streets of New York City Tuesday night, undeterred by an 8 p.m. curfew, though most streets were clear by early Wednesday other than police who were patrolling some areas. Midtown Manhattan was pocked with battered storefronts after Monday’s protests.
Protests also passed across the U.S., including in Los Angeles, Miami, St. Paul, Minnesota, Columbia, South Carolina and Houston, where the police chief talked to peaceful demonstrators, vowing reforms.
“God as my witness, change is coming,” Art Acevedo said. “And we’re going to do it the right way.”
More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence. New York is not among them, and Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he does not want the Guard. On Tuesday, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo called what happened in the city “a disgrace.”
“The NYPD and the mayor did not do their job last night,” Cuomo said at a briefing in Albany.
He said the mayor underestimated the problem, and the nation’s largest police force was not deployed in sufficient numbers, though the city had said it doubled the usual police presence.
Tuesday marked the eighth straight night of the protests, which began after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck while the handcuffed black man called out that he couldn’t breathe. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been fired and charged with murder.
The mother of George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna, said she wanted the world to know that her little girl lost a good father.
“I want everybody to know that this is what those officers took,” Roxie Washington said during a Minneapolis news conference with her young daughter at her side. “I want justice for him because he was good. No matter what anybody thinks, he was good.”
Some protesters framed the burgeoning movement as a necessity after a string of killings by police.
“It feels like it’s just been an endless cascade of hashtags of black people dying, and it feels like nothing’s really being done by our political leaders to actually enact real change,” said Christine Ohenzuwa, 19, who attended a peaceful protest at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul. “There’s always going to be a breaking point. I think right now, we’re seeing the breaking point around the country.”
“I live in this state. It’s really painful to see what’s going on, but it’s also really important to understand that it’s connected to a system of racial violence,” she said.
Meanwhile, governors and mayors, Republicans and Democrats alike, rejected Trump’s threat to send in the military, with some saying troops would be unnecessary and others questioning whether the government has such authority and warning that such a step would be dangerous.
A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the president is not rushing to send in the military and that his goal was to pressure governors to deploy more National Guard members.
Such use of the military would mark a stunning federal intervention rarely seen in modern American history.
Amid the protests, nine states and the District of Columbia held presidential primaries that tested the nation’s ability to run elections while balancing a pandemic and sweeping social unrest. Joe Biden won hundreds more delegates and was on the cusp of formally securing the Democratic presidential nomination.
Also Tuesday, Minnesota opened an investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against minorities.
___
Sullivan reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press journalists across the U.S. contributed to this report
Trump appears to back away from sending military to quell protests
Associated Press Published: June 3, 2020
Members of the DC National Guard block an intersection on 16th Street as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, near the White House in Washington. ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after threatening states that he would dispatch the military to quell protests, President Donald Trump appeared to be privately backing off his threat to deploy troops, with White House officials saying this week’s response to demonstrations across the country indicated that local governments should be able to restore order themselves.
The shift came as protests in Washington and other cities over police brutality against minorities proceeded Tuesday with relative calm, a striking contrast to the harsh crackdowns outside the White House on Monday night. The president wanted to make the aggressive action in the nation’s capital an example for the rest of the country, a senior White House official said Tuesday.
The Defense Department has drafted contingency plans for how to deploy active-duty military if needed. Pentagon documents reviewed by The Associated Press showed plans for soldiers from an Army division to protect the White House and other federal buildings if the security situation in the nation’s capital were to deteriorate and the National Guard could not secure the facilities.
But interest in exerting that extraordinary federal authority appeared to be waning in the White House. Though the crackdown on the Washington demonstrations was praised by some Trump supporters Tuesday, a handful of Republicans expressed concern that law enforcement officers risked violating the protesters’ First Amendment rights. The defense secretary also distanced himself from Trump’s decision to walk across Lafayette Park for a photo opportunity at a church after the demonstrators had been cleared.
Pentagon Chief Mark Esper, who walked with Trump to St. John’s Church on Monday evening, insisted he did not know the president’s destination.
“I didn’t know where I was going,” Esper told NBC News. He said he had expected to view damage to a bathroom facility that had been vandalized in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, and talk with National Guard troops positioned there.
Read:Democrats fail in effort to get Senate to condemn Trump for church photo-op
The protests have sprung up across the country following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him down and pressed Floyd’s neck with his knee. Violent demonstrations have raged in scores of American cities, marking a level of unrest unseen for decades.
The situation in Washington escalated Monday, becoming a potent symbol of Trump’s policing tactics and a physical manifestation of the rhetorical culture war he has stoked since before he was elected. Nearly 30 minutes before a 7 p.m. curfew in Washington, U.S. Park Police repelled protesters with what they said were smoke canisters and pepper balls.
“D.C. had no problems last night. Many arrests. Great job done by all. Overwhelming force. Domination,” Trump tweeted Tuesday, after a night in which heavily armed military forces and federal officers swarmed the city. Trump added, “(thank you President Trump!).”
The clampdown on the protesters followed a weekend of demonstrations outside the White House. Trump had been furious about images juxtaposing fires set in the park outside the executive mansion with a darkened White House in the background, according to current and former campaign and administration officials. He was also angry about the news coverage revealing he had been rushed to the White House bunker during Friday’s protests.
He moved to respond aggressively Monday. In an evening address in the Rose Garden, he called on governors to ramp up the National Guard presence in their states to tamp down the protests. If they didn’t abide by those orders, Trump said, he would dispatch the military to their states — a step rarely taken in modern American history.
The federal government has provided all affected states with a list of National Guard resources available to them, the White House official said. The official added that Trump’s message to governors was that if they don’t use all the tools in their arsenal, they shouldn’t expect a sympathetic response to any request for federal dollars to help with cleanup and recovery down.
On Monday, 715 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in the capital area in case the situation in Washington escalated. They are now stationed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Two more 82nd Airborne battalions, totaling 1,300 soldiers, are on standby at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, according to the documents reviewed by the AP. The plan is named Operation Themis.
The soldiers on standby in the Washington area are armed and have riot gear and bayonets. After the AP first reported the issuing of bayonets Tuesday, orders came down that soldiers would not need the knife-like weapons that can be affixed to rifles, according to two soldiers from the 82nd who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear they would be punished for commenting publicly. The idea that bayonets could be used in confronting civilians provoked an outcry on social media and among some members of Congress.
Already administration officials were privately acknowledging that the Monday’s events didn’t serve the administration well. Some Republican lawmakers, who are typically in lockstep with the president or at least refrain from publicly criticizing him, said he had gone too far in appearing to use force to clear the way for his visit to the church.
“There is no right to riot, no right to destroy others’ property, and no right to throw rocks at police,” said Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse. “But there is a fundamental — a constitutional — right to protest, and I’m against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said of Trump posing for photos holding up a Bible, “I just wish he opened it once in a while.”
Trump’s Cabinet also played a role in what appeared to be an orchestrated event.
It was Attorney General William Barr who gave the order for law enforcement to clear out the protest before Trump’s walk to the church and ahead of Washington’s 7 p.m. curfew. A person familiar with the matter said the decision was made earlier Monday, but had not been executed by the time Barr arrived in Lafayette Park to survey the scene Monday evening. He verbally gave the order at that time.
After the demonstrators had been pushed out of the park, Trump emerged from the White House with several officials, including Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senior defense officials told reporters Milley was also not aware that the Park Police and law enforcement had made a decision to clear the square or that Trump intended to visit the church. They had been in Washington to coordinate with federal law enforcement officials but were diverted to the White House to brief Trump on military preparations, the officials said.
The White House, Defense, campaign officials and others with knowledge of Monday’s events all insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Members of the DC National Guard block an intersection on 16th Street as demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, near the White House in Washington. ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after threatening states that he would dispatch the military to quell protests, President Donald Trump appeared to be privately backing off his threat to deploy troops, with White House officials saying this week’s response to demonstrations across the country indicated that local governments should be able to restore order themselves.
The shift came as protests in Washington and other cities over police brutality against minorities proceeded Tuesday with relative calm, a striking contrast to the harsh crackdowns outside the White House on Monday night. The president wanted to make the aggressive action in the nation’s capital an example for the rest of the country, a senior White House official said Tuesday.
The Defense Department has drafted contingency plans for how to deploy active-duty military if needed. Pentagon documents reviewed by The Associated Press showed plans for soldiers from an Army division to protect the White House and other federal buildings if the security situation in the nation’s capital were to deteriorate and the National Guard could not secure the facilities.
But interest in exerting that extraordinary federal authority appeared to be waning in the White House. Though the crackdown on the Washington demonstrations was praised by some Trump supporters Tuesday, a handful of Republicans expressed concern that law enforcement officers risked violating the protesters’ First Amendment rights. The defense secretary also distanced himself from Trump’s decision to walk across Lafayette Park for a photo opportunity at a church after the demonstrators had been cleared.
Pentagon Chief Mark Esper, who walked with Trump to St. John’s Church on Monday evening, insisted he did not know the president’s destination.
“I didn’t know where I was going,” Esper told NBC News. He said he had expected to view damage to a bathroom facility that had been vandalized in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, and talk with National Guard troops positioned there.
Read:Democrats fail in effort to get Senate to condemn Trump for church photo-op
The protests have sprung up across the country following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him down and pressed Floyd’s neck with his knee. Violent demonstrations have raged in scores of American cities, marking a level of unrest unseen for decades.
The situation in Washington escalated Monday, becoming a potent symbol of Trump’s policing tactics and a physical manifestation of the rhetorical culture war he has stoked since before he was elected. Nearly 30 minutes before a 7 p.m. curfew in Washington, U.S. Park Police repelled protesters with what they said were smoke canisters and pepper balls.
“D.C. had no problems last night. Many arrests. Great job done by all. Overwhelming force. Domination,” Trump tweeted Tuesday, after a night in which heavily armed military forces and federal officers swarmed the city. Trump added, “(thank you President Trump!).”
The clampdown on the protesters followed a weekend of demonstrations outside the White House. Trump had been furious about images juxtaposing fires set in the park outside the executive mansion with a darkened White House in the background, according to current and former campaign and administration officials. He was also angry about the news coverage revealing he had been rushed to the White House bunker during Friday’s protests.
He moved to respond aggressively Monday. In an evening address in the Rose Garden, he called on governors to ramp up the National Guard presence in their states to tamp down the protests. If they didn’t abide by those orders, Trump said, he would dispatch the military to their states — a step rarely taken in modern American history.
The federal government has provided all affected states with a list of National Guard resources available to them, the White House official said. The official added that Trump’s message to governors was that if they don’t use all the tools in their arsenal, they shouldn’t expect a sympathetic response to any request for federal dollars to help with cleanup and recovery down.
On Monday, 715 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in the capital area in case the situation in Washington escalated. They are now stationed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Two more 82nd Airborne battalions, totaling 1,300 soldiers, are on standby at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, according to the documents reviewed by the AP. The plan is named Operation Themis.
The soldiers on standby in the Washington area are armed and have riot gear and bayonets. After the AP first reported the issuing of bayonets Tuesday, orders came down that soldiers would not need the knife-like weapons that can be affixed to rifles, according to two soldiers from the 82nd who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear they would be punished for commenting publicly. The idea that bayonets could be used in confronting civilians provoked an outcry on social media and among some members of Congress.
Already administration officials were privately acknowledging that the Monday’s events didn’t serve the administration well. Some Republican lawmakers, who are typically in lockstep with the president or at least refrain from publicly criticizing him, said he had gone too far in appearing to use force to clear the way for his visit to the church.
“There is no right to riot, no right to destroy others’ property, and no right to throw rocks at police,” said Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse. “But there is a fundamental — a constitutional — right to protest, and I’m against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said of Trump posing for photos holding up a Bible, “I just wish he opened it once in a while.”
Trump’s Cabinet also played a role in what appeared to be an orchestrated event.
It was Attorney General William Barr who gave the order for law enforcement to clear out the protest before Trump’s walk to the church and ahead of Washington’s 7 p.m. curfew. A person familiar with the matter said the decision was made earlier Monday, but had not been executed by the time Barr arrived in Lafayette Park to survey the scene Monday evening. He verbally gave the order at that time.
After the demonstrators had been pushed out of the park, Trump emerged from the White House with several officials, including Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senior defense officials told reporters Milley was also not aware that the Park Police and law enforcement had made a decision to clear the square or that Trump intended to visit the church. They had been in Washington to coordinate with federal law enforcement officials but were diverted to the White House to brief Trump on military preparations, the officials said.
The White House, Defense, campaign officials and others with knowledge of Monday’s events all insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
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