Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is throwing his support behind Defense Secretary Mark Esper amid reports that the White House is “not happy” after Esper broke with President Trump by opposing invoking the Insurrection Act to quell protests.
In Thursday morning tweets, McConnell praised both Esper and Attorney General Bill Barr for their “dedicated work at this difficult time.” McConnell added that he is glad the President “assembled such an impressive team.”
In these challenging times, the President and the American people are very well-served by the expert advice and principled leadership of people like Secretary Esper and Attorney General Barr. (1/3)
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) June 4, 2020
I am glad President Trump has assembled such an impressive team that is working hard for all Americans. (3/3)
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) June 4, 2020
McConnell’s tweets come a day after Esper contradicted Trump’s call for governors to “dominate” protesters by activating the National Guard to quell nationwide protests and unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s death. During a Wednesday press conference, Esper argued that active duty forces should only be used in a law enforcement role as a “last resort.”
Hours after Esper delivered his remarks, CNN and Axios reported that Trump and other top officials were “not happy” with Esper following his remarks, which officials claim they didn’t get a heads up on. According to CNN, Trump has privately fumed over his frustrations with his defense secretary during a recent weekend at Camp David.
