Kristina Wong 6 Jun 2020
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday ordered National Guard troops in Washington, DC, to disarm and wear soft caps instead of helmets, an official told Breitbart News on Friday afternoon.
The official said the president told Attorney General Bill Barr that he wanted the National Guard to be armed so that they could protect themselves from rioters and looters coming in to the city, but Esper on his own told the D.C. National Guard leadership to take the weapons of National Guardsmen who were coming in from other states.
“He’s not really on board with what the president is trying to do,†the official said.
The official said Esper also on his own directed the National Guard in D.C. to wear soft caps instead of helmets. Breitbart News queried the Pentagon chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman on Friday afternoon, but he did not respond by deadline.
Photos on social media showed National Guardsmen in D.C. wearing soft caps:
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https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/06/defense-secretary-mark-esper-orders-national-guard-in-d-c-to-disarm-wear-soft-caps-instead-of-helmets/