FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper talks to a member of DC National Guard, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 1, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Wednesday he does not support invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty forces to quell civil unrest for now, despite President Donald Trump's threats to militarize America's response to mass protests.
Trump said this week he could use military forces in states that fail to crack down on sometimes violent protests over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
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