Wake Up, America! Wake Up! PLEASE!!
- Thread starter Drillher4me
- Start date
- Status
Yeah you tell your self that.
Don't forget to get back to the rest of the post you ducked.
Yep proved it right again.
Trudeau’s 21-Second Pause Becomes the Story in Canada
TORONTO — When asked what he thought of President Trump’s call for military action against American protesters and the tear gassing of peaceful demonstrators to make way for a photo-op, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paused at his podium for 21 uncomfortable, televised seconds. He opened his mouth, then shut it — twice. He softly groaned.
Finally, in a scene on Tuesday that has now spread wildly around the internet, Mr. Trudeau said: “We all watch in horror and consternation what’s going on in the United States.”
From their perch above the United States, Canadians have been watching in shock as the country they’ve long considered their closest friend and protector now seems like a crazed, erratic and dangerous stranger.
Most of the country’s horror has been focused on President Trump. Even the country’s conservative newspapers were filled with columns like one by Gary Mason stating, “There couldn’t be a scarier person inhabiting the White House at this very moment.”
“It’s deliberate what he’s doing. He’s deliberately stoking anger so he can run a law-and-order platform,” concurred Janice Stein, the founding director of the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. “It’s horrifying.”
Most Canadians soured on President Trump two years ago when he placed tariffs on their country’s steel and aluminum exports, threatened to cut Canada out of the continental free trade deal and insulted Mr. Trudeau as “very dishonest and weak” moments after leaving the Group of 7 summit, which Mr. Trudeau had hosted.
But, during the pandemic, public opinion of President Trump has sunk to even lower levels among Canadians.
While politicians here have set aside their partisan differences to work together to protect Canadians from the coronavirus, Mr. Trump is viewed as politicizing the pandemic for his re-election effort.
“My view is one of profound sadness — sadness at watching communities we respect being so torn apart, and sadness at watching the loss of life in the pandemic,” said Frank McKenna, a former premier of New Brunswick and a former Canadian ambassador to the United States. “The United States is so polarized, the question of wearing a mask or not is fraught with political overtones. It’s excruciating to watch.”
TORONTO — When asked what he thought of President Trump’s call for military action against American protesters and the tear gassing of peaceful demonstrators to make way for a photo-op, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paused at his podium for 21 uncomfortable, televised seconds. He opened his mouth, then shut it — twice. He softly groaned.
Finally, in a scene on Tuesday that has now spread wildly around the internet, Mr. Trudeau said: “We all watch in horror and consternation what’s going on in the United States.”
From their perch above the United States, Canadians have been watching in shock as the country they’ve long considered their closest friend and protector now seems like a crazed, erratic and dangerous stranger.
Most of the country’s horror has been focused on President Trump. Even the country’s conservative newspapers were filled with columns like one by Gary Mason stating, “There couldn’t be a scarier person inhabiting the White House at this very moment.”
“It’s deliberate what he’s doing. He’s deliberately stoking anger so he can run a law-and-order platform,” concurred Janice Stein, the founding director of the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. “It’s horrifying.”
Most Canadians soured on President Trump two years ago when he placed tariffs on their country’s steel and aluminum exports, threatened to cut Canada out of the continental free trade deal and insulted Mr. Trudeau as “very dishonest and weak” moments after leaving the Group of 7 summit, which Mr. Trudeau had hosted.
But, during the pandemic, public opinion of President Trump has sunk to even lower levels among Canadians.
While politicians here have set aside their partisan differences to work together to protect Canadians from the coronavirus, Mr. Trump is viewed as politicizing the pandemic for his re-election effort.
“My view is one of profound sadness — sadness at watching communities we respect being so torn apart, and sadness at watching the loss of life in the pandemic,” said Frank McKenna, a former premier of New Brunswick and a former Canadian ambassador to the United States. “The United States is so polarized, the question of wearing a mask or not is fraught with political overtones. It’s excruciating to watch.”
really looking forward to Obama ripping trump a new ass here soon
we are fighting to get his posts deleted1
just kidding.....my guess with all that is going on.....and you see it mentioned on so many threads....my guess is anypost that might be questionable name calling or etc got removed
like me...hell I post so much ******* if they took out half I wouldn't have a clue
well I see hottobe got that avatar deleted.....didn't take long....can't win an argument fuckem some other way
Snapchat stops promoting Donald Trump's account due to ...
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52912884
Jun 03, 2020 · Snapchat says it has stopped promoting President Donald Trump's account. As a result, it will no longer feature in the app's Discover section. The …
Snapchat to stop promoting Trump's content
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/snapchat...
15 hours ago · Snapchat to stop promoting Trump's content The move brings Snapchat more in line with Twitter's approach to the president's rhetoric, while Facebook has maintained it …
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52912884
Jun 03, 2020 · Snapchat says it has stopped promoting President Donald Trump's account. As a result, it will no longer feature in the app's Discover section. The …
Snapchat to stop promoting Trump's content
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/snapchat...
15 hours ago · Snapchat to stop promoting Trump's content The move brings Snapchat more in line with Twitter's approach to the president's rhetoric, while Facebook has maintained it …
wondered when those camera's were going to come into play
The Latest: National team investigating fires in Minneapolis
...
8 hours ago · MINNEAPOLIS — The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has sent a national response team to Minneapolis and St. Paul to help investigate fires …
The Latest: National team investigating fires in Minneapolis
...
8 hours ago · MINNEAPOLIS — The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has sent a national response team to Minneapolis and St. Paul to help investigate fires …
Bang on.
Wake up America. This man is dismantling your nation and besmirching your good name.
Anyone who still supports this man is on the wrong side of history.
Did he? Wonder if it was on religious grounds.
All four living ex-presidents draw a sharp contrast with Trump on systemic racism
Four U.S. presidents spoke this week about systemic racism and injustice. They used their platforms to illuminate the humanity in all Americans and to decry the dehumanization of some. And they summoned the nation to confront its failures, make change and come together.
A fifth U.S. president spoke instead this week about using military ******* to dominate Americans who are protesting racial injustice. He declared winners and losers among state and city officials trying to safeguard their streets. And, with his reelection campaign in mind, he sought to apply a partisan political lens to the national reckoning over racial inequities.
Of course, Trump has long zigged when his four living predecessors zagged, and proudly so. But rarely has the dichotomy been clearer than this week, when Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter injected their voices into the national discussion of race and justice following last week’s death of George Floyd.
Four U.S. presidents spoke this week about systemic racism and injustice. They used their platforms to illuminate the humanity in all Americans and to decry the dehumanization of some. And they summoned the nation to confront its failures, make change and come together.
A fifth U.S. president spoke instead this week about using military ******* to dominate Americans who are protesting racial injustice. He declared winners and losers among state and city officials trying to safeguard their streets. And, with his reelection campaign in mind, he sought to apply a partisan political lens to the national reckoning over racial inequities.
Of course, Trump has long zigged when his four living predecessors zagged, and proudly so. But rarely has the dichotomy been clearer than this week, when Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter injected their voices into the national discussion of race and justice following last week’s death of George Floyd.
he is a petty little fucker....most on the right go to extreme to win......but he gets a little childish about it
WELL ...... it's been almost 2 years since you were the first of many to respond to my opening remarks when I started this thread, I'll now reiterate what I said then and add, "General Mattis has just said it far better than I could've ever stated it!"
The Generals statement summarizes precisely what the President of the U.S., is, has been, and can only be! An idiot! Unfortunately the repugnancy he harbours has bought global negative reactions which will have negative consequences for the U.S. for generations to come! Alas there is light at the end of this terrible tunnel-- it's called "The November Elections!" After the elections, at least "hopefully", the United States can begin the process of healing itself and regaining it global past good reputation and leadership position! Unless of course, by some quirk of fate your current President is re-elected with the help of his friend from Moscow! I guess it would be a little far-fetched this early in the game to suggest, in the unlikely event should he be re-elected, that you could conceivably expect to see his Moscow friend move to his (Putin) new global capital in Washington!
P.S. Far fetched - think about it!!
Who did Trump have a telephone call with a mere hour or so before his infamous Bible photo shoot the other day???
---- PUTIN!!
Just more corruption and proof people are above the law....by controlling what is looked at...….fox in the henhouse!
Ousted Watchdog Says State Dept. Official Pressured Him to End Inquiry Into Pompeo
Steve A. Linick, the former State Department inspector general, testified that a top agency official tried to “bully” him as he investigated the potential misconduct by the administration.
Steve Linick, an inspector general who was fired from the State Department, told Congress that a friend of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had “pressured him to act” in ways that he felt were “inappropriate.”
WASHINGTON — The former State Department inspector general who was ousted by President Trump told Congress on Wednesday that a top department official tried to “bully” him as he examined potential misconduct at the agency, according to top Democratic lawmakers.
Steve A. Linick, who was fired as inspector general last month, testified that Brian Bulatao, the under secretary of state for management, had “pressured him to act in ways” that he felt were “inappropriate,” the Democrats said. That included telling Mr. Linick that he should not pursue his investigation into whether the administration had unlawfully declared an “emergency” last year to allow the resumption of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.
The revelation heightens the scrutiny on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who recommended that the president fire Mr. Linick, and who was at the heart of two investigations led by the inspector general’s office — the Saudi arms deal and another examining the potential misuse of a political appointee for personal errands. It also casts an unwelcome spotlight on Mr. Bulatao, who is one of Mr. Pompeo’s closest friends.
Mr. Linick testified voluntarily before Democratic and Republican lawmakers and their aides as part of an expanding inquiry opened by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
“We still have many unanswered questions,” Democratic lawmakers said in a joint statement, “and today’s testimony makes it all the more critical that the administration immediately comply with outstanding requests for additional witness interviews and documents.”
Mr. Bulatao told Mr. Linick that whether the administration acted illegally to bypass a congressional freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates was not a matter for his office to investigate, Democrats said. Mr. Linick also told lawmakers that Mr. Pompeo and other top State Department officials had been aware of both investigations into the department, rebutting claims that were previously made by Mr. Pompeo.
Mr. Trump defended the decision to fire Mr. Linick, arguing that he has “the absolute right as president to terminate,” but said he acted on Mr. Pompeo’s recommendation. Mr. Pompeo has defended the ouster, saying it was “patently false” that he was retaliating against Mr. Linick as a result of his investigations into his department. He has not indicated why he advised the president to fire Mr. Linick but has denounced Democrats’ investigation.
“I’ve seen the various stories that someone was walking my dog to sell arms to my dry cleaner,” he said last month in response to journalists’ questions at the State Department. “It’s all just crazy. It’s all crazy stuff.”
Part of the public scrutiny over Mr. Pompeo centers on whether he is using State Department funds to help build a political network for a potential presidential campaign in 2024. Mr. Pompeo has quietly visited with Republican donors and political figures on diplomatic trips, leaving those meetings off his public schedule.
Ousted Watchdog Says State Dept. Official Pressured Him to End Inquiry Into Pompeo
Steve A. Linick, the former State Department inspector general, testified that a top agency official tried to “bully” him as he investigated the potential misconduct by the administration.
Steve Linick, an inspector general who was fired from the State Department, told Congress that a friend of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had “pressured him to act” in ways that he felt were “inappropriate.”
WASHINGTON — The former State Department inspector general who was ousted by President Trump told Congress on Wednesday that a top department official tried to “bully” him as he examined potential misconduct at the agency, according to top Democratic lawmakers.
Steve A. Linick, who was fired as inspector general last month, testified that Brian Bulatao, the under secretary of state for management, had “pressured him to act in ways” that he felt were “inappropriate,” the Democrats said. That included telling Mr. Linick that he should not pursue his investigation into whether the administration had unlawfully declared an “emergency” last year to allow the resumption of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.
The revelation heightens the scrutiny on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who recommended that the president fire Mr. Linick, and who was at the heart of two investigations led by the inspector general’s office — the Saudi arms deal and another examining the potential misuse of a political appointee for personal errands. It also casts an unwelcome spotlight on Mr. Bulatao, who is one of Mr. Pompeo’s closest friends.
Mr. Linick testified voluntarily before Democratic and Republican lawmakers and their aides as part of an expanding inquiry opened by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
“We still have many unanswered questions,” Democratic lawmakers said in a joint statement, “and today’s testimony makes it all the more critical that the administration immediately comply with outstanding requests for additional witness interviews and documents.”
Mr. Bulatao told Mr. Linick that whether the administration acted illegally to bypass a congressional freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates was not a matter for his office to investigate, Democrats said. Mr. Linick also told lawmakers that Mr. Pompeo and other top State Department officials had been aware of both investigations into the department, rebutting claims that were previously made by Mr. Pompeo.
Mr. Trump defended the decision to fire Mr. Linick, arguing that he has “the absolute right as president to terminate,” but said he acted on Mr. Pompeo’s recommendation. Mr. Pompeo has defended the ouster, saying it was “patently false” that he was retaliating against Mr. Linick as a result of his investigations into his department. He has not indicated why he advised the president to fire Mr. Linick but has denounced Democrats’ investigation.
“I’ve seen the various stories that someone was walking my dog to sell arms to my dry cleaner,” he said last month in response to journalists’ questions at the State Department. “It’s all just crazy. It’s all crazy stuff.”
Part of the public scrutiny over Mr. Pompeo centers on whether he is using State Department funds to help build a political network for a potential presidential campaign in 2024. Mr. Pompeo has quietly visited with Republican donors and political figures on diplomatic trips, leaving those meetings off his public schedule.
As a West Coast Canadian with strong U.S., ties, I'd like to reinforce precisely what subhub has written above!
He's 110% bang on, however, as a much international travelled individual, I'd like to add the following comment: "The Canadian disappointments with this Trumpian Fiasco is shared with, and by, every country I've visited in the past three (3) years!"
Would this be a big thank you to David Duke?
Trump Has Flooded DC With Law Enforcement Officers Who Won’t Identify Themselves
They’re not Blackwater. But it’s fair to ask.
On Tuesday, while walking alongside hundreds of protesters giving the finger to the Trump International Hotel as they marched toward Congress, I spotted armed men in quasi-military gear standing on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the FBI’s headquarters.
I approached, noticing they had no obvious insignias, unlike the DC Police and some of the other law enforcement out tracking protesters and guarding DC buildings this week.
I asked two men who they were with. “We’re with the Department of Justice,” one answered. “Are you with a specific agency?” I asked. “Are you regular DOJ employees or just detailed there?” He responded: “We’re with the Department of Justice” to all my questions. He asked me who I was with, which I was happy to share, and why I wanted to know, which I’d hoped was obvious. This is America. We are supposed to know who’s policing us.
But things are changing. The Trump administration, in the name of order, is claiming the power to use unidentified federal law enforcement personnel to police protests. On top of the dizzying array of federal law enforcement already out in ******* this week, these are some of the “federal assets” that Donald Trump said he was deploying in DC in the wake of large protests and substantial looting and property damage on Sunday night. These officers, if that’s what they are, have not only declined to identify themselves, but appear to be actively taking steps to hide their affiliation.
As the march Tuesday continued east, I saw dozens more men dressed similarly—green fatigues, black undershirts, helmets, shoes not boots, and no masks. A group of them were spread out around the Navy Memorial between 8th and 9th St. on Pennsylvania. One told me he was with the “federal government.” He said, a little apologetically, that this was all he was allowed to say.
Another said that he and his colleagues were “Justice Department assets.” When I asked if they always wore those uniforms, he said no: “We put on what they tell us to.”
Later, Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec, in response to my inquiry, said in an email that these personnel were from “BOP,” or the Bureau of Prisons. NPR, citing a “senior Justice Department official,” reported Monday that Attorney General Bill Barr “directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to dispatch riot teams” to Miami and DC to help local authorities respond to protests. Kupec didn’t answer additional questions, including whether these security forces have been specifically instructed to hide their affiliation.
But it seems that amid curfews and a stay-at-home order, DC residents are being confronted by people normally used to guard federal prisoners, under a Congress we have no say in electing.
just what any dictator would do...use the military to protect him and his!
Trump Has Flooded DC With Law Enforcement Officers Who Won’t Identify Themselves
They’re not Blackwater. But it’s fair to ask.
On Tuesday, while walking alongside hundreds of protesters giving the finger to the Trump International Hotel as they marched toward Congress, I spotted armed men in quasi-military gear standing on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the FBI’s headquarters.
I approached, noticing they had no obvious insignias, unlike the DC Police and some of the other law enforcement out tracking protesters and guarding DC buildings this week.
I asked two men who they were with. “We’re with the Department of Justice,” one answered. “Are you with a specific agency?” I asked. “Are you regular DOJ employees or just detailed there?” He responded: “We’re with the Department of Justice” to all my questions. He asked me who I was with, which I was happy to share, and why I wanted to know, which I’d hoped was obvious. This is America. We are supposed to know who’s policing us.
But things are changing. The Trump administration, in the name of order, is claiming the power to use unidentified federal law enforcement personnel to police protests. On top of the dizzying array of federal law enforcement already out in ******* this week, these are some of the “federal assets” that Donald Trump said he was deploying in DC in the wake of large protests and substantial looting and property damage on Sunday night. These officers, if that’s what they are, have not only declined to identify themselves, but appear to be actively taking steps to hide their affiliation.
As the march Tuesday continued east, I saw dozens more men dressed similarly—green fatigues, black undershirts, helmets, shoes not boots, and no masks. A group of them were spread out around the Navy Memorial between 8th and 9th St. on Pennsylvania. One told me he was with the “federal government.” He said, a little apologetically, that this was all he was allowed to say.
Another said that he and his colleagues were “Justice Department assets.” When I asked if they always wore those uniforms, he said no: “We put on what they tell us to.”
Later, Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec, in response to my inquiry, said in an email that these personnel were from “BOP,” or the Bureau of Prisons. NPR, citing a “senior Justice Department official,” reported Monday that Attorney General Bill Barr “directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to dispatch riot teams” to Miami and DC to help local authorities respond to protests. Kupec didn’t answer additional questions, including whether these security forces have been specifically instructed to hide their affiliation.
But it seems that amid curfews and a stay-at-home order, DC residents are being confronted by people normally used to guard federal prisoners, under a Congress we have no say in electing.
just what any dictator would do...use the military to protect him and his!
Where's that from I get skeptical when you always ask for link then don't post one
Pentagon-Trump Clash Breaks Open Over Military and ...
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020...
13 hours ago · Pentagon-Trump Clash Breaks Open Over Military and Protests Yet another former military leader, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, is criticizing President Donald Trump’s response to
Trump-Pentagon clash breaks open over military use on ...
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and...
7 hours ago · Trump-Pentagon clash breaks open over military use on protests By Zeke Miller and Robert Burns The Associated Press June 4, 2020 - 4:02 am …
Pentagon-Trump clash breaks open over military and protests
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's Pentagon chief shot down his idea of using troops to quell protests across the United States, then reversed course on pulling part of the 82nd Airborne Division off standby in an extraordinary clash between the U.S. military and its commander in chief.
Both Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper also drew stinging, rare public criticism from Trump's first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, in the most public pushback of Trump's presidency from the men he put at the helm of the world's most powerful military.
Mattis' rebuke Wednesday followed Trump's threats to use the military to "dominate" the streets where Americans are demonstrating following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes. Trump had urged governors to call out the National Guard to contain protests that turned violent and warned that he could send in active duty military forces if they did not.
Esper angered Trump when he said he opposed using military troops for law enforcement, seemingly taking the teeth out of the president's threat to use the Insurrection Act. Esper said the 1807 law should be invoked "only in the most urgent and dire of situations." He added, "We are not in one of those situations now."
After Esper's visit to the White House, the Pentagon abruptly overturned an earlier decision to send a couple hundred active-duty soldiers home from the Washington, D.C., region, a public sign of the growing tensions with the White House amid mounting criticism that the Pentagon was being politicized in response to the protests.
Former Secretary Mattis, a retired Marine general, lambasted both Trump and Esper in an essay in The Atlantic for their consideration of using the active-duty military in law enforcement — and for the use of the National Guard in clearing out a largely peaceful protest near the White House on Monday evening.
"We must reject any thinking of our cities as a 'battlespace' that our uniformed military is called upon to 'dominate,'" Mattis wrote, referencing quotes by Esper and Trump respectively. "Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict — a false conflict — between the military and civilian society. "
Trump responded on Twitter by calling Mattis "the world's most overrated General," adding: "I didn't like his 'leadership' style or much else about him, and many others agree, Glad he is gone!"
Yet another former military leader, retired Marine Corps four-star general John Allen, said that events on Monday, the day Trump walked to the church, "may well signal the beginning of the end of the American experiment."
Allen, president of the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution, contrasted the routing of the protesters in Lafayette Park with remarks by Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, who denounced looting that he said tarnishes his brother's memory.
Days ago, Esper had ordered about 1,300 Army personnel to military bases outside the nation's capital as Trump weighed whether to invoke the Insurrection Act and send active-duty troops into the city, where the scene of large protests that devolved into violence and looting over the weekend. But after a night of calm enforced by a large deployment of National Guard troops and heavily armed federal law enforcement agents, defense officials said the troops would begin returning to their home base.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press that the decision was reversed after Esper's visit to the White House. The White House didn't respond to request for comment on whether Trump ordered the change.
Writing in Foreign Policy, Allen urged people to make their votes in November for the future of America's democracy. "It will have to come from the bottom up. For at the White House, there is no one home," he wrote.
The shift added to confusion over the president's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act for protests following Floyd's death in Minneapolis. White House officials had indicated even before Esper's comments that Trump was backing away from invoking the act, though officials said Trump was upset that Esper's statement conveyed "weakness."
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president was still willing to deploy federal troops despite Esper's comments: "If needed, he will use it," she told reporters.
Meanwhile, the president was taking credit for the deployment of federal and other law enforcement officers to the nation's capital, saying it offered a model to states on how to stop violence accompanying some protests nationwide.
On Wednesday evening, troops and others were out in ******* in Washington. A Defense official said at least 2,200 National Guard members would be on the streets. Helmeted forces ringed Lafayette Park across from the White House. Military vehicles were parked at intersections, blocking access.
Asked repeatedly if Trump still had confidence in his Pentagon chief, McEnany said, "As of right now, Secretary Esper is still Secretary Esper, and should the president lose faith we will all learn about that in the future."
The defense secretary has come under fire from critics, including retired senior military officers, for having walked from the White House on Monday evening with Trump and others for a presidential photo opportunity in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, damaged by protesters.
Esper said that while he was aware they were heading to St. John's, "I was not aware a photo op was happening."
He said he also did not know that police had forcibly moved peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square to clear the way for Trump and his entourage.
Mattis, in his essay Wednesday, called the scene an "abuse of executive authority." The retired general quit the Trump administration in December 2018 after months of conflict with the president as Trump announced he was unilaterally withdrawing American troops from Syria.
Though the crackdown on the Washington demonstrations was praised by some Trump supporters, a handful of Republicans expressed concern that law enforcement officers risked violating the protesters' First Amendment rights.
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 gone to the secure White House bunker during Friday's protests.
Trump acknowledged he visited the bunker but claimed he was only conducting an inspection as protests raged outside.
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020...
13 hours ago · Pentagon-Trump Clash Breaks Open Over Military and Protests Yet another former military leader, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, is criticizing President Donald Trump’s response to
Trump-Pentagon clash breaks open over military use on ...
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and...
7 hours ago · Trump-Pentagon clash breaks open over military use on protests By Zeke Miller and Robert Burns The Associated Press June 4, 2020 - 4:02 am …
Pentagon-Trump clash breaks open over military and protests
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's Pentagon chief shot down his idea of using troops to quell protests across the United States, then reversed course on pulling part of the 82nd Airborne Division off standby in an extraordinary clash between the U.S. military and its commander in chief.
Both Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper also drew stinging, rare public criticism from Trump's first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, in the most public pushback of Trump's presidency from the men he put at the helm of the world's most powerful military.
Mattis' rebuke Wednesday followed Trump's threats to use the military to "dominate" the streets where Americans are demonstrating following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes. Trump had urged governors to call out the National Guard to contain protests that turned violent and warned that he could send in active duty military forces if they did not.
Esper angered Trump when he said he opposed using military troops for law enforcement, seemingly taking the teeth out of the president's threat to use the Insurrection Act. Esper said the 1807 law should be invoked "only in the most urgent and dire of situations." He added, "We are not in one of those situations now."
After Esper's visit to the White House, the Pentagon abruptly overturned an earlier decision to send a couple hundred active-duty soldiers home from the Washington, D.C., region, a public sign of the growing tensions with the White House amid mounting criticism that the Pentagon was being politicized in response to the protests.
Former Secretary Mattis, a retired Marine general, lambasted both Trump and Esper in an essay in The Atlantic for their consideration of using the active-duty military in law enforcement — and for the use of the National Guard in clearing out a largely peaceful protest near the White House on Monday evening.
"We must reject any thinking of our cities as a 'battlespace' that our uniformed military is called upon to 'dominate,'" Mattis wrote, referencing quotes by Esper and Trump respectively. "Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict — a false conflict — between the military and civilian society. "
Trump responded on Twitter by calling Mattis "the world's most overrated General," adding: "I didn't like his 'leadership' style or much else about him, and many others agree, Glad he is gone!"
Yet another former military leader, retired Marine Corps four-star general John Allen, said that events on Monday, the day Trump walked to the church, "may well signal the beginning of the end of the American experiment."
Allen, president of the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution, contrasted the routing of the protesters in Lafayette Park with remarks by Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, who denounced looting that he said tarnishes his brother's memory.
Days ago, Esper had ordered about 1,300 Army personnel to military bases outside the nation's capital as Trump weighed whether to invoke the Insurrection Act and send active-duty troops into the city, where the scene of large protests that devolved into violence and looting over the weekend. But after a night of calm enforced by a large deployment of National Guard troops and heavily armed federal law enforcement agents, defense officials said the troops would begin returning to their home base.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press that the decision was reversed after Esper's visit to the White House. The White House didn't respond to request for comment on whether Trump ordered the change.
Writing in Foreign Policy, Allen urged people to make their votes in November for the future of America's democracy. "It will have to come from the bottom up. For at the White House, there is no one home," he wrote.
The shift added to confusion over the president's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act for protests following Floyd's death in Minneapolis. White House officials had indicated even before Esper's comments that Trump was backing away from invoking the act, though officials said Trump was upset that Esper's statement conveyed "weakness."
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president was still willing to deploy federal troops despite Esper's comments: "If needed, he will use it," she told reporters.
Meanwhile, the president was taking credit for the deployment of federal and other law enforcement officers to the nation's capital, saying it offered a model to states on how to stop violence accompanying some protests nationwide.
On Wednesday evening, troops and others were out in ******* in Washington. A Defense official said at least 2,200 National Guard members would be on the streets. Helmeted forces ringed Lafayette Park across from the White House. Military vehicles were parked at intersections, blocking access.
Asked repeatedly if Trump still had confidence in his Pentagon chief, McEnany said, "As of right now, Secretary Esper is still Secretary Esper, and should the president lose faith we will all learn about that in the future."
The defense secretary has come under fire from critics, including retired senior military officers, for having walked from the White House on Monday evening with Trump and others for a presidential photo opportunity in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, damaged by protesters.
Esper said that while he was aware they were heading to St. John's, "I was not aware a photo op was happening."
He said he also did not know that police had forcibly moved peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square to clear the way for Trump and his entourage.
Mattis, in his essay Wednesday, called the scene an "abuse of executive authority." The retired general quit the Trump administration in December 2018 after months of conflict with the president as Trump announced he was unilaterally withdrawing American troops from Syria.
Though the crackdown on the Washington demonstrations was praised by some Trump supporters, a handful of Republicans expressed concern that law enforcement officers risked violating the protesters' First Amendment rights.
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 gone to the secure White House bunker during Friday's protests.
Trump acknowledged he visited the bunker but claimed he was only conducting an inspection as protests raged outside.
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