WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2020) President Donald Trump said in an interview that he does not think the US military will have to be used to restore order in cities in the United States ravaged by riots that took place after the initial peaceful protests over the death of African American man George Floyd in police custody.
"Well it depends, I don't think we'll have to," Trump said on Wednesday when asked if the US military will be sent to cities affected by riots so as to restore order.
Earlier on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said during a press briefing that he does not support Trump's decision to invoke the Insurrection Act that would allow him to enable using the military to quell riots in the United States.
Esper said active-duty troops should be used in law enforcement operations only as a means of last resort and the United States is not in that situation at present.
On May 25, Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A video of the arrest showed a white police officer pressing with his knee on Floyd's neck for at least eight minutes while Floyd lied handcuffed on his stomach. The initial protests against police brutality and racism in various cities in the United States were soon replaced by riots, complete with violence against police and civilians as well as acts of vandalism, arson and looting.
