Former Trump Official Mark Esper Claims President Was A ‘Threat To Democracy’

Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper claimed Monday former President Donald Trump was a threat to democracy while speaking on Fox News.

Fox News’ Bret Baier cited an excerpt in Esper’s new book in which Esper alleges Trump asked whether protesters could be shot in the leg. Baier then played a clip of Esper’s 2019 Senate confirmation hearing in which he said he would “absolutely” resign if we was asked to engage in any misconduct.

“There are points in this book where you clearly write you had crossed that Rubicon, and yet you don’t resign,” Baier said.

“I said I would never do anything illegal, immoral, or unethical,” Esper said.

“You clearly suggest you were being asked to,” Baier pushed back.

“It was being suggested by the president and we successfully pushed back on that,” Esper said.

Baier then asked whether he thought “Donald Trump was a threat to democracy.”

“I think that given the events of January 6th, given how he has undermined the election results, he incited people to come to D.C., stirred them that morning, and failed to call them off. To me, that threatens our democracy,” Esper said.

“So, yes?” Baier asked.

“What else can you conclude, Bret?” Esper said before saying he hopes Trump does not mount a 2024 bid. (RELATED: Trump Proposed Missile Attack To Wipe Out Mexican Drug Cartels, Mark Esper Claims)

“I hope that the Republican base can figure out that while President Trump pushed a lot of traditional Republican ideas,” Esper said. “There are other candidates out there who could run that could do it without dividing the people, without creating such tension within the country, and do it by growing the base as well.”

Trump claimed he fired Esper in November of 2020, though Esper’s office has pushed back and instead claimed Esper had prepared a resignation letter at the time. The president and Esper reportedly clashed over several foreign policy issues.