Trump’s defence secretary thought he was going to see vandalised toilet when he joined controversial photo opp at church
Mark Esper admits he had ‘no idea’ police would disperse crowds with tear gas so White House officials could make church visit
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Your support makes all the difference.Defence secretary Mark Esper believed Donald Trump was leading White House officials to view a damaged toilet when the president posed outside St. John’s Episcopal Church in actions that were condemned.
Mr Esper has said that he walked with the US president on Monday through Lafayette Park because he wanted to talk to troops, and observe a vandalised toilet.
He added in an interview with NBC News that he had “no idea” police would tear-gas peaceful protesters so that Mr Trump could be photographed holding-up a bible outside “the Church of the Presidents” on Monday.
“I thought I was going to do two things: to see some damage and to talk to the troops,” said Mr Esper on Tuesday night.
He added: “I didn’t know where I was going, I wanted to see how much damage actually happened.”
The US secretary for defence was among White House administration officials who accompanied the US president on his staged visit to St. John’s church, moments after police had cleared protesters from the scene.
According to NBC News, an official from the defence department said: “Their understanding is they were going into Lafayette Park to review the efforts of the troops”.
The Pentagon later added that despite Mr Esper being aware the church was among the locations he would be viewing damage on Monday, he did not know the president was going to use the visit as a photo opportunity.
The bishop at St John’s, Mariann Budde, was among religious leaders and lawmakers who were angered at the stunt.
She said afterwards that she was “outraged” because “we need moral leadership and he’s done everything to divide us”, in comments made to The Washington Post.
Mr Trump had told Americans on Monday that he was a “president of law and order”, before police tear-gassed protestors so that he could pay respects “to a very, very special place”.
A defence official told NBC News that Mr Trump did not leave the White House holding a bible, and so officials had no advance warning about his intentions.
“They were not aware that park police and law enforcement made the decision to clear the square,” added the official.
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