MSNBC host Joe Scarborough called on Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to resign after he claimed that he did not know he was going with President Trump to take a photograph by St. John’s Episcopal Church.
On Tuesday, a Pentagon official said Esper did not know protesters in front of the White House had been cleared for the president to visit the historic church that had been partially burned by rioters. Scarborough argued that Esper should resign if he were truly unaware of the situation.
“We have a secretary of defense who actually said that he thought that the president — they were going to inspect troops, and they were going to inspect a bathroom. Now, that is Secretary Esper’s worst excuse since he said his dog ate his Constitution. That his — it’s despicable. If he were misled by that, by the president of the United States, then he should resign,” Scarborough said on Wednesday’s Morning Joe.
“Secretary Esper, you should resign this morning if you were used as a political plot,” he said. “Your military, Mr. Secretary. Your military. The men and women of our military are being used as political props.”
Scarborough also called on former Defense Secretary James Mattis to speak out about the situation.
“Hey, James Mattis, you want to wake up from your slumber and stop worrying about offending somebody? Because you’re pissing off a lot of people, James Mattis,” he said. “Your silence is pissing off a lot of people.”
