Hegseth Admits He Doesn’t Know What Authority Trump Is Using To Deploy Troops
HuffPost
But the former Fox News weekend host and current defense secretary told lawmakers he's sure his boss has the right to deploy troops wherever he wants.
WASHINGTON ― Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified in Congress Tuesday that he did not know what legal authority his boss was using to deploy troops to suppress protests in Los Angeles against deportation raids, but he was certain President Donald Trump had it.
“What’s the justification for the military for civilian law enforcement purposes in LA?” California Democratic Rep. Peter Aguilar asked. “Why are you sending war fighters to cities to interact with civilians?”
He then asked Hegseth which of the three reasons listed in the law that permits U.S. troops to deploy domestically Trump was citing.
Federal law says a president can federalize a state’s National Guard units if the country is invaded, if there is a “rebellion or danger of rebellion,” or if the president cannot execute the laws of the United States.
“I don’t know. You just read it yourself, and people can listen themselves,” said Hegseth, whose last job before his appointment to run the Pentagon was as a weekend host at Fox News. “But it sounds like all three to me. If you’ve got millions of illegals and you don’t know where they’re coming from, they’re waving flags from foreign countries and assaulting police officers and laws.”
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