"I do not have any indications of an enemy within," Gen. Gregory Guillot told Senate Armed Services Committee lawmakers when asked about Trump's comments. "We maintain readiness to execute the orders to defend the homeland in many ways, but I have not been tasked in that way."
Trump in late September declared that "an enemy within" was reason to deploy guard members in the United States. He also said the military "should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military," referring to Democratic-run cities.
"This is going to be a big thing for the people in this room, because it's the enemy from within, and we have to handle it before it gets out of control," Trump told generals gathered Sept. 30 at Quantico, Va. "It won't get out of control once you're involved at all."
Guillot's remarks, at the top of a hearing on Trump's guard deployment to several U.S. cities, underlined a point of contention between Republican and Democratic lawmakers, with the former arguing that the guard was needed to fight lawlessness as local officials had not done their job in keeping the public safe. Democrats, however, said the deployments were an abuse of military power that violated state rights.
"In recent years, violent crime, rioting, drug trafficking, and heinous gang activity have steadily escalated," said the panel's chair, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).
He called the deployments to several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Portland; and Memphis "not only appropriate, but essential."
But Democrats on the panel questioned the legality of sending troops to American cities over the objections of state and local officials.
"The decisionmakers, and the words coming out of the mouth of the commander in chief — using our cities as 'training grounds' … going after 'the enemy within' — does not give us confidence that this president is going to always use the military in an apolitical way that's exclusively meant on protecting the United States," said Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
In one exchange, Slotkin asked the Pentagon's No. 2 lawyer, Charles Young, whether he would approve an order by Trump to place troops at polling locations in next year's midterm election and whether that would be legal.
The idea "sends a shiver down the spine of every American, and should whether you're a Democrat or a Republican," Slotkin said.
Young said that was "a hypothetical situation" and that federal laws prevent the stationing of troops at polling locations, but he added that the president has the authority to decide whether an emergency requires a National Guard response.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) referred to comments made by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper — in interviews and his book — in which he said Trump asked about troops being able to shoot protesters during civil unrest in 2020.
"The president at one point said that protesters should be shot in the street, is that a legal order?" she asked.
Young said he was unaware of Trump's previous comments and that "orders to that effect would depend on the circumstances."
Read the full report at thehill.com.
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