US President Donald Trump has accused left-wing extremist groups of inciting looting and violence in some cities at night, but an internal intelligence assessment provides little evidence that organized extremists are responsible for the unrest, while the Secretary of Defense has announced his refusal to intervene in the military.

In part of an internal intelligence assessment of the protests on June 1, officials at the Ministry of Homeland Security said that most violent incidents were led by opportunists who took advantage of the event.

The part seen by Reuters did not provide specific evidence of violence led by extremists, but pointed out that supporters of the idea of ​​"white discrimination" are working on the Internet to stoke tension between protesters and law enforcement by calling for violence against both sides.

As protests escalated over the weekend, Justice Secretary William Barr said violence in Minneapolis and elsewhere was driven by "left-wing extremist groups". He added that those who cause violence are moving from outside the states to hotspots, but he did not elaborate.

Esber says the Pentagon faces a major challenge (Reuters)

The Pentagon disassociates itself

For his part, US Defense Secretary Mark Esber announced his rejection of the deployment of the army, and said that the Pentagon faces a major challenge in trying to keep its position out of politics in light of the approaching American presidential elections.

Esber stressed in a press conference that the Ministry of Defense faces similar challenges in every election season, and pledged to work to materialize his commitment that he made since assuming the position of the Ministry of Defense to keep it away from political activity.

Esper distanced himself from Trump's image in front of the church, and said that the president improvised and that an investigation had been opened to suppress the protesters, denying the National Guard's relationship to this.

Pope calls for reconciliation 
For his part, Pope Francesco called on Wednesday for national reconciliation in the United States, and said that racism is something that cannot be overlooked, but violence in the streets is "self-destruction and self-defeat."

The Pope broke his silence over the atmosphere of tension in the United States, which witnessed demonstrations for the eighth consecutive night, in protest against the death of George Floyd, an African American, after police arrested him.

He described Floyd's death as "tragic," and Francesco said he was praying for him and for everyone who had lost their lives because of the "sin of racism."

George Bush Jr.
In a related context, former President George W. Bush said on Tuesday that the killing of Floyd indicates a "shock failure" in relation to tackling racism in the country.

Bush urged that protesters' voices be heard, in sharp opposition to Republican Trump's tough approach to the protests.

"The only way to see ourselves honestly is to listen to the voices of many who feel pain and sadness. Those who seek to silence these voices do not understand the meaning of America or how to become a better place," the former president said in a statement.

"It is a shocking failure that many African Americans, especially young people, are being harassed and threatened in their country," he said.

Looting
and protests renewed in several cities after a night of unrest and looting, while the US Department of Defense transferred about 1,600 military personnel to the Washington area, amid pressure from Trump for a military solution.

Protests continued in the capital in front of the White House, despite the entry into force of the curfew from 7 pm local time.

Hundreds of people gathered in front of an iron fence surrounding the Lafayette Park, where National Guard personnel stood between the protesters and the White House, and the protesters raised slogans denouncing the president, calling for justice and an end to police violence.

Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the security forces threw tear gas canisters at the protesters who tried to remove the iron fence from in front of the White House.

Draft resolution
In parallel with these developments, Democratic members of the Senate unveiled a draft resolution condemning the president for issuing orders to use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters off the White House on Monday.

For her part, House member Ilhan Omar said in an exclusive interview with Al-Jazeera Mubasher, that she is working with other members to prepare a draft law that deals with the nature of the work of the security forces and the police, and permits the strengthening of investigations procedures with them.

The first spark of these events was launched from the city of Minneapolis on May 25, after a video clip spread on social networks showing the death of Floyd, 46, who died of suffocation during his arrest by a white policeman.