This is preferred
Posted on 06/05/2020 12:33:13 PM PDT by Scarpetta
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has told the District of Columbia National Guard and guardsmen from other states who have arrived in the nation's capital as backup to not use firearms or ammunition, a sign of de-escalation in the federal response to protests in the city after the killing of George Floyd, according to officials familiar with the decision.
The Department of Defense, led by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, appears to have made the decision without consulting the White House, where President Trump has ordered a militarized show of force on the streets of Washington D.C. since demonstrations in the city were punctured by an episode of looting on Sunday. Trump specifically had encouraged the National Guard to be armed.
Initially, a small group of the guardsmen deployed in the city had been carrying guns while standing outside monuments, but the bulk of the forces, such as those working with federal park police at Lafayette Square in front of the White House, didn't carry firearms out of caution. Now, all of the roughly 5,000 guardsmen who have been deployed or are deploying to Washington, D.C., have been told not to use weaponry or ammunition, according to four officials familiar with the order.
"The whole purpose behind that was a purposeful show of de-escalation," said one U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an order that hasn't been made public yet. "We're here, but we're walking things down."
The White House has not been involved in the decision, a senior administration official said. Trump has encouraged the National Guard to be armed, and wanted them to be as a show of force.
(Excerpt) Read more at thetelegraph.com ...
Have they been ordered to take a knee whenever they meet a Negro?
Who is in charge?
This is NOT GOING TO WORK out well. Arrest Esper.
Will they at least give the National Guardsmen flowers?
Not a very prudent move if you ask me.
I hate them all. Literal hate.
The Telegraph?
Anonymous sources?
Fake News!
The President is the CIC and can if he wishes ORDER the troops be armed.
Trump tolerates it.
Esper is probably one of those liberal GOP freaks from the rolodex of Reince Priebus.
Just a few days ago, a not-so-noteworthy Obammunist resigned to create the illusion of disarray in the Trump administration.
Here, close to the end of his first term, the president still has Preiboids and Obammunists undermining him. They should be long gone by now.
If ONE NG is hurt Esper is toast.
Wait and see if this isn’t fake news first.
Perhaps a preemptive defense against a possible false flag shooting to be blamed on NG.
A million protestors expected in DC tomorrow. No way can police keep this crowd under control
Yep. This should be easy to reverse but it makes Trump look bad. And that’s the whole idea.
Oh goodie! Maybe they can all kneel in submission and bow their heads to make it easier for the antifa to bash their heads in with the bricks soros bought for them.
Then why even have them there?
What if the President releases something really really BAD about (say) Congress or other Swampies that gets all the protestors really really mad, right when there are a million angry people in DC?
Sure kills all those assumptions made by Americans on this site that we could be sure the military would be with us in the inevitable bloody battle to restore the Constitutional Republic...
The military under Hitler was never so brave as to "openly" declare war of the country's leader...
Permanent third-world status is so wonderful, now that we, as a Nation, have attained it...
The world is rejoicing as those testicles are finally removed...
Trump has more than the NG to protect the WH. That’s why Nancy’s so upset and wants to find out who they are.
What! Why???
These Antifa thugs mean business. Don’t make the guard helpless. I’m not disarming.
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