The law gives the president to deploy the U.S. military across the country, but only under certain circumstances. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday he opposes using military forces for law enforcement in containing current street protests, tamping down threats from President Donald Trump, who had warned states he was willing to send troops to “dominate” the streets.
Less than 48 hours after the president threatened to use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to contain protests if governors were not able to get a handle on unrest, Esper said it should be invoked in the United States “only in the most urgent and dire of situations." He declared, “We are not in one of those situations now.” Esper, at Trump's encouragement, had already