Donald Trump Says Ex-Pentagon Chief Mark Esper's Claims He Wanted to Shoot Protesters 'a Complete Lie'

Former President Donald Trump has suggested that protesters on the streets around the White House during protests in June 2020 should be shot, according to former Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

Esper, Trump's defense secretary in 2019, noted that the former president was reportedly enraged by protests for racial justice in light of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

"He [Trump] says, 'Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something.' And he's suggesting that that's what we should do... that we should bring in the troops and shoot the protesters," Esper told 60 Minutes host Norah O'Donnell about the June 1, 2020 meeting at the Oval Office on Sunday.

According to CBS News, Esper claimed that Trump was on the verge of ordering 10,000 active-duty troops into the streets of the Capital.

The former defense secretary made the claims in his book entitled "A Sacred Oath," in which he wrote about Trump's suggestion to shoot protesters and deploy 10,000 troops to address the protests.

It was reportedly during the peak of the protests over Floyd's murder, with thousands of protesters set fires and vandalized properties amid the demonstrations.

On June 1, 2020, Trump announced at the White House Rose Garden press conference that he was deploying thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, as well as law enforcement officers to address the looting and rioting.

Fox News reported that it would require the invocation of the 1807 Insurrection Act.

Donald Trump on Mark Esper's Claims

In a statement he released to "60 Minutes," Donald Trump said Mark Esper's claims were a "complete lie," adding that 10 witnesses would back him up.

The former president noted that Esper was "weak and totally ineffective, and because of it," he had to run the military, The Hill reported.

Trump said Esper "was a stiff" desperate not to lose his job, adding that the former defense secretary would do anything that he wanted. He noted that it was the reason why he called Esper "Yesper," adding that his former official was "a lightweight and figurehead."

The former president also refuted claims that Esper had blocked consideration of employing the Insurrection Act, which could have been used to deploy active-duty troops to deal with the protests. Trump said it was "fake news" and that he did not need to invoke the act and that he never did.

In sending at least 10,000 troops for January 6 at the Capitol, Trump clarified that he wanted it because he knew "many people were coming to Washington that day to protest the corrupt Presidential Election of 2020," but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and "the D.C. Mayor turned me down."

Mark Esper Fired During Donald Trump's Administration

Mark Esper was fired in November 2020 during arguments with Donald Trump over police brutality and the response to protests over racial inequality in the United States.

Two days after losing reelection, Trump announced on Twitter that he has fired Esper and that Christopher C. Miller would be the acting defense secretary effective immediately, The Guardian reported.

Esper has been contradicting the former president on several issues, including the Black Lives Matter movement, wherein Esper said there were no legal grounds to deploy troops.

Mark Esper wrote a final letter to the president, saying that he served the country in deference to the Constitution, adding that he accepted the former president's decision to replace him.

Pelosi commented on Esper's dismissal and said it was "disturbing evidence" that Donald Trump was using his final days to "sow chaos" in democracy.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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