Trump's Justification for Troop Deployment Reveals a Lying, Weak President

On June 4th, it was reported that the Trump administration planned on deploying the National Guard to ramp up their migrant arrest numbers to meet new quotas. Peaceful LA protests began on June 6.

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DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin was unable to explain exactly why Donald Trump ordered Marines to Los Angeles, when the Governor did not request them.

CNN asked McLaughlin if the orders were issued through California Governor Gavin Newsom, and she replied they were issued by Trump, who as we all know, lacks the leadership to be the governor of the world’s 4th largest economy.

CNN: Section 12406 says 'orders for these purposes shall be issued through the governors of the states.' Were these orders issued through Gov. Gavin Newsom?

DHS OFFICIAL TRICIA McLAUGHLIN: They are issued by the president of the United States.

The law to deploy the National Guard in federal service reads that the orders MUST come from the Governor:

Whenever—

(1)

the United States, or any of the Commonwealths or possessions, is invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation;

(2)

there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States; or

(3)

the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States;

the President may call into Federal service members and units of the National Guard of any State in such numbers as he considers necessary to repel the invasion, suppress the rebellion, or execute those laws. Orders for these purposes shall be issued through the governors of the States or, in the case of the District of Columbia, through the commanding general of the National Guard of the District of Columbia.

McLaughlin instead launched into a diatribe about how the president saw that our law enforcement were being pummeled by rocks as an excuse for why the president violated the law.

This response does not answer the question regarding did the California Governor request the troops, and conveniently leaves out the fact that the protests were mostly peaceful until Trump escalated the situation by sending in the National Guard.

There has been some violence aimed at law enforcement. Chief McDonnell of the LAPD told everyone in a press conference Sunday afternoon that “one man was taken into custody for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at an officer and a motorcyclist was arrested for ramming a police skirmish line.”

He also said he was grateful for the people who engaged in peaceful demonstrations across the city, while noting that there were also agitators who move from “one civil unrest situation to another using similar tactics and they are connected.”

In other words, some of the violence we are seeing on TV is not from the protesters, but from agitators.

McDonnell “went out of his way to express gratitude to people who have engaged in peaceful demonstrations across the city, noting that those out committing acts of violence are not the same people seen exercising their First Amendment rights during the day.”

“There are people who do this all the time, get away with whatever they can, going from one civil unrest situation to another using similar tactics and they are connected,” the chief said.

On Monday, there were a number of solidarity protests around the country organized by SEIU to “Free David, End ICE Raids.”

The SEIU paints a very different picture of what is going on in Los Angeles than the Trump administration and too much of the media:

On Friday afternoon, military-gear-clad ICE agents launched aggressive raids throughout Los Angeles. At one location, SEIU-USWW President David Huerta was assaulted, injured and detained while advocating for immigrant workers. While he has been released from the hospital, he remains in federal custody.

Since then, the Trump administration has only escalated its attacks on the Los Angeles community, deploying the military against our own people. This is a clear attack on our communities, workers and our First Amendment rights. Demand that David Huerta be freed and ICE raids end immediately.