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Mark Esper to speak about new memoir on All Things Considered

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Tomorrow on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, my interview with President Trump's former defense secretary, Mark Esper. Esper's new book, "A Sacred Oath," is out Tuesday. In it, he recounts this conversation with the former president who had summoned him and the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Milley, to complain about protesters responding to the murder of George Floyd.

MARK ESPER: He looked frankly at General Milley and said, can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something. And it was - it was not just a - it was a question in the form of a - or a suggestion in the form of a question. And we were just all taken aback at that moment as this issue just hung very heavily in the air.

MARTIN: Esper tells us more about the challenges he faced serving in the Trump administration and why he stayed. Tune in to hear that story tomorrow on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Just ask your smart speaker to play NPR or your local station by name.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.