Representatives Auchincloss, Moulton, criticize Trump’s use of military troops in LA
Representative Jake Auchincloss, a Newton Democrat and Marine veteran, on Monday criticized President Trump’s decision to deploy 700 Marines to Los Angeles, where they joined National Guard troops responding to violent immigration protests.
“The military should not be used as police. Deploying Marines to Los Angeles violates Posse Comitatus and does not support public safety,” Auchincloss said in a statement to the Globe.
The Marines are being deployed to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents, U.S. Northern Command announced Monday, the Associated Press reported.
Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act to allow them to do law enforcement. It has not been clear if he intends to do so, AP said.
Representative Seth Moulton of Salem, also a Marine veteran, could not immediately be reached Monday night to comment on the marine deployment in Los Angeles.
Speaking to CNN earlier Monday, Moulton criticized Trump’s decision to send the National Guard to quell the weekend immigration protests.
“It’s amazing that Trump is so quick to call in the National Guard, when he held off calling in the National Guard as armed people were assaulting the Capitol [on January 6th],” Moulton told the cable network.
“I had a friend of mine in the Marines literally sitting on a Blackhawk waiting to come up, and the president wouldn’t let him go,” Moulton continued. “To save the lives of cops, to save the lives of his own Vice President and other elected officials, who these protestors—who these insurrectionists—were trying to hang."
California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have called the troop deployment unnecessary and plan to challenge Trump’s actions in court.
“The LAPD has said they have this protest under control, and it doesn’t help the situation to bring in [federal] troops,” Moulton said. “You bring in troops in America only in the most extreme circumstances, because this is a democracy, and you don’t politicize the military and ask them to act against American citizens.
By: Rita Chandler
Source: Boston Globe