{"id":34752,"date":"2020-06-04T10:21:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T14:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=34752"},"modified":"2020-06-04T10:21:05","modified_gmt":"2020-06-04T14:21:05","slug":"schumer-gillibrand-and-other-senate-democrats-condemn-presidents-threat-to-use-military-in-cities-impacted-by-riots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/schumer-gillibrand-and-other-senate-democrats-condemn-presidents-threat-to-use-military-in-cities-impacted-by-riots\/","title":{"rendered":"Schumer, Gillibrand and Other Senate Democrats Condemn President’s Threat to Use Military in Cities Impacted by Riots"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Chuck Schumer (left) and Kirsten Gillibrand<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

WASHINGTON – New York’s two U.S. Senators are joining their Democratic colleagues in condemning President Donald Trump’s<\/strong> threat to use military force to combat demonstrations and protests that had grown into riots in some areas of the country.<\/p>\n

While the demonstrations have remained large but mostly without the violence both Tuesday and Wednesday, that wasn’t the case earlier in the week and over the weekend. President Trump responded on Monday by threatening to use the military to \u201cdominate\u201d the streets where Americans are demonstrating following the death of George Floyd<\/strong>, a black man who died when a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes.<\/p>\n

Trump had urged governors to call out the National Guard<\/strong> to contain protests that turned violent and warned that if they do not, he would\u00a0invoke the Insurrection Act<\/em> and send in active duty military forces.<\/p>\n

The response by the president led to U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer<\/strong> and Kirsten Gillibrand<\/strong> to join other Senate Democrats in condemning the Trump administration\u2019s threat. In a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper<\/strong> and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley<\/strong>, Sen. Gillibrand expressed deep concerns over the use of the military to restrict what they are calling peaceful protests, which fall under rights given to Americans by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than listen or acknowledge the legitimate pain of protesters and the black community, President Trump has sought to divide us further, eagerly inflaming tensions and sowing anger and fear,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Senator Gillibrand.\u00a0\u201cHis continued threats to use violence against peaceful protesters and deploy our military to states is outrageous and deeply troubling. The Department of Defense must immediately answer whether the Department would deploy federal troops outside of the use of the Insurrection Act and I demand that\u00a0combat units\u00a0are not used to\u00a0impede on Americans\u2019\u00a0civil liberties in the fight for racial justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defense Secretary Esper reportedly angered Trump when he said he opposed using military troops for law enforcement, seemingly taking the teeth out of the president\u2019s threat to use the Insurrection Act. Esper said the 1807 law should be invoked \u201conly in the most urgent and dire of situations.\u201d He added, \u201cWe are not in one of those situations now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

President Donald Trump holds up a bible while taking a photo outside of St. John’s Episcopal Church, near Lafayette Square in Washington D.C. Prior to the photo being taken, peaceful protesters were forced by authorities dressed in riot gear and who were wielding shields and using pepper spray .<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis<\/strong>, a retired Marine general, also lambasted both Trump and Esper in an essay in The Atlantic<\/em><\/a> for their consideration of using the active-duty military in law enforcement \u2014 and for the use of the National Guard in clearing out a largely peaceful protest at Lafayette Square near the White House on Monday evening.<\/p>\n

According to Gillibrand’s office, the Insurrection Act<\/em><\/strong>, last used in 1992 during the L.A. Riots, is an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act<\/em> to be invoked only under extreme conditions. The legislation allows states to request support from the federal government, and would allow the President to activate federal troops independent of a state\u2019s request \u2013 under specific and limited conditions that Gillibrand argues are not currently met.<\/p>\n

In the letter, Gillibrand urges the Department of Defense provide information by Friday, June 5 on whether the Department would deploy federal troops outside of the use of the Insurrection Act<\/em>, if deployments would ever include combat designated troops, how troops would be trained and prepared, what the mission, scope, and rules would entail for the use of force as well if they would be authorized to perform arrests.<\/p>\n

Schumer, meanwhile, tried to force action in the U.S. senate on Tuesday for lawmaker to approve a symbolic resolution to condemn both the violence and Trump\u2019s actions at Lafayette Square. But Majority leader and Sen. Mitch McConnell<\/strong> objected, chiding Democrats for pushing a measure that he said addressed neither justice for black Americans nor \u201cpeace for our country in the face of looting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, it just indulges in the myopic obsession with President Trump that has come to define the Democratic side,\u201d Mr. McConnell said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON – New York’s two U.S. Senators are joining their Democratic colleagues in condemning President Donald Trump’s threat to use military force to combat demonstrations and protests that had grown into riots in some areas of the country. While the demonstrations have remained large but mostly without the violence both Tuesday and Wednesday, that wasn’t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":31136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[4],"tags":[384,3344,10087,10100,10099,7186,1367,10097,10098,4924,10096,2303],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Schumer-Gillibrand.jpg?fit=525%2C331&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YlJ4-92w","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31125,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/schumer-gillibrand-127-military-projects-including-160-million-west-point-project-impacted-by-diverting-dod-money-to-border-wall\/","url_meta":{"origin":34752,"position":0},"title":"Schumer, Gillibrand: 127 Military Projects, Including $160 Million West Point Project, Impacted by Diverting DOD Money to Border Wall","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"September 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"WASHINGTON - New York's two representatives in the U.S. Senate are blasting the Trump administration for its decision to divert $3.6 billion in funding from projects involving the Department of Defense in order to fund the construction of portions of a border wall between the United States and Mexico. 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That\u2019s according to Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, who say they are seeking funding to authorize a Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study. \"Chautauqua Lake currently suffers from continued environmental and economic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/1.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/1.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/1.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20422,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/gillibrand-plans-to-vote-against-wavier-required-trumps-pick-for-defense-secretary\/","url_meta":{"origin":34752,"position":2},"title":"Gillibrand Plans to Vote Against Wavier Required Trump’s Pick for Defense Secretary","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"December 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"WASHINGTON - Sen. 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Gillibrand\u2019s early opposition to the waiver came less than an hour after Trump announced he would tap Mattis for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Local News"","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/gillibrand.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17379,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/schumer-gillibrand-push-for-increased-federal-support-in-fight-against-heroin-opioid-addiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":34752,"position":3},"title":"Schumer, Gillibrand Push for Increased Federal Support in Fight Against Heroin, Opioid Addiction","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"March 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"WASHINGTON - New York\u2019s two representatives in the U.S. Senate both took time out on Wednesday to address to growing heroin and opioid epidemic that continues to affect communities across upstate new York, including here Chautauqua County. 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