Sanders blasts Trump on 'authoritarianism' for sending troops to LA
The protests come as the Trump administration has taken stronger actions to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. Demonstrators allege the administration's immigration enforcement has violated civil and human rights.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on June 7 that Trump signed a memo deploying the guardsmen "to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester." Both California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, however, have criticized the move, saying it would only escalate tensions in the area.
"I would say that to a large degree, the future of this country rests with a small number of Republicans in the House and Senate who know better, who do know what the Constitution is about, and it's high time they stood up for our Constitution and the rule of law," Sanders said.
Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, meanwhile, defended the president's move to Bash, arguing that the situation is not under control.
The Department of Homeland Security said that some protesters have hurled large chunks of broken concrete at officers, slashed tires and defaced buildings. Video footage of some of the protests showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks, lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds.
"The president has made it very clear. If the governor or the mayor of the city isn't willing to protect the citizens of his state or the city, then the president will. The American people elected him to restore the law and order back to our streets," Mullin said.
Contributing: Reuters
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NBC News
27 minutes ago
- NBC News
Some Los Angeles officials fear Marines' 'rules of force'
WASHINGTON — President Trump's deployment of thousands of troops to Los Angeles to quell protests, including 700 active-duty Marines, is fueling concern that the Marines have not been properly trained for interacting with civilians, including children, during potentially tense law enforcement operations. One of the duties of the Marines and National Guard troops will be to provide security for ICE personnel as they conduct immigration raids in the Los Angeles area, according to officials with knowledge of the operation and court filings. National Guard troops and Marines will transport ICE agents to and from raids and secure neighborhood perimeters while ICE agents conduct operations. California Democrats argue that this violates the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement efforts. California Attorney General Rob Bonta argued in a court motion on Tuesday that the Trump administration's deployment violates that law. 'The federalized National Guard and active-duty Marines deployed in Los Angeles will engage in quintessential law enforcement activity in violation of the PCA,' the motion said, referring to the Posse Comitatus Act. 'Defendants will create a substantial likelihood that the military will physically confront, detain, or search civilians whom they perceive are posing a security threat, thereby actively executing civil laws.' A military official with knowledge of the operation told NBC News that the Marines would not conduct arrests and would only transport and guard ICE agents. They said that these activities would not violate the Posse Comitatus Act. As with many other political battles since Trump took office, the issue will be decided in court. On Thursday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer will hold a hearing in San Francisco to hear arguments from both sides regarding Trump's use of the National Guard and Marines in L.A. Breyer could accept or reject Bonta's request that he issue a court order blocking the Trump Administration from using National Guard troops and Marines during ICE operations. Some local law enforcement officials and state Democrats say that Trump is stoking tensions rather than calming them. The National Guard is often used to respond to riots or violence on American streets. And active-duty Marines are not typically trained for domestic law enforcement and lack the tools or the training to respond to civil disturbances. Mike Hillman, a law enforcement consultant, military veteran and former Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief who served more than 40 years in the department, said there is a big difference between what law enforcement does and what Marines do. 'The Marines are warfighters and they come with rules of engagement and tools and equipment that they would normally use under those circumstances,' Hillman told NBC News. 'This situation has serious consequences. It puts the United States Marine Corps and the warfighters in the position where they are having to deal with domestic incidents on domestic soil.' Concerns about Marine 'rules of force' Some of the Marines deployed to Los Angeles will provide security and transportation for ICE personnel as they conduct operations. This includes driving ICE agents in military vehicles to arrest locations, according to two sources familiar with the plans. The Marines have been issued small cards that list 'rules of force' — terminology used for domestic military operations, the two sources said. The cards describe what Marines are allowed to do during a deployment. Two sources familiar with the planning say that ICE agents, as well as local officials in Los Angeles, have expressed concern about those rules of engagement. The sources said ICE agents worry that the Marines have not been properly trained and could be pulled into law enforcement operations for which local police or the National Guard is better suited. Jim McDonnell, the Los Angeles police chief, said in a statement on Monday that he was not notified of the Marine deployment and urged federal officials to maintain continuous communications with local law enforcement officials. 'The arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles — absent clear coordination — presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city,' he said. 'We are urging open and continuous lines of communication between all agencies to prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time.' Warning from Rodney King riots An incident in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots following the police beating of Rodney King serves as a cautionary tale. According to the book, 'Fires and Furies,' by Maj. Gen. James Delk, who oversaw National Guard operations in California at the time, Marines caused an incident when they accompanied police officers to a domestic disturbance in the wake of the riots. A police officer asked the Marines to 'cover me' as he tried to enter the residence, according to the book. Instead of simply pointing their weapons at it to deter the people inside, the Marines opened fire on the house. 'The officer had not meant shoot when he yelled 'cover me' to the Marines,' Delk wrote. The officer meant, 'point your weapon and be prepared to respond if necessary. However, the Marines responded instantly in the way they had been trained, where 'cover me' means 'provide me with cover using firepower.'' California legal battle California Attorney General Bonta's motion asked Judge Breyer, the federal judge in San Francisco, to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump Administration from using National Guard troops or Marines during ICE operations. 'Defendants, including President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth have sought to bring military personnel and a 'warrior culture' to the streets of cities and towns where Americans work, go to school and raise their families,' Bonta wrote. On Tuesday, Department of Justice lawyers rebuffed Bonta's motion. 'Plaintiffs' motion is legally meritless,' they wrote in a filing. 'It seeks an extraordinary, unprecedented and dangerous court order.' Bonta's motion argued that the administration's actions, in fact, were dangerous. 'There is no invasion or rebellion in Los Angeles," it said, "only the kind of civil unrest that occurs from time to time that is typically the purview of local law enforcement.'
NBC News
32 minutes ago
- NBC News
From a 'day of love' to 'if they spit, we will hit': Trump's about-face on violence against police
President Donald Trump has promised swift retribution for any violence against law enforcement by protesters in Los Angeles. 'IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before,' he wrote on his social media platform after making a similar statement a day earlier to reporters. 'Such disrespect will not be tolerated!' It is an about-face for the president. On Jan. 6, 2021, Peter Stager assaulted an officer with a flagpole during the riot on the U.S. Capitol. Another, Daniel 'D.J.' Rodriguez, drove a stun gun into the neck of a Capitol police officer and pleaded guilty to the crime. And a third, Julian Khater, pepper-sprayed Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick in the face. Sicknick later died. Trump pardoned them all. Trump's tolerance for violence against law enforcement during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is facing renewed scrutiny in the wake of his remarks and actions in Los Angeles, where his administration is taking a hard line against protesters. He federalized thousands of National Guard members and sent 700 U.S. Marines to the country's second-largest city — against the wishes of state and local officials — after protesters blocked immigration enforcement actions. It's a sea change from how Trump treated the Jan. 6 riot, when his supporters attacked the Capitol in an attempt to block Congress' certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election win. In an address Tuesday evening about events in his state, California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the disparity. 'By the way, Trump, he's not opposed to lawlessness and violence, as long as it serves him. What more evidence do we need than Jan. 6?' Newsom said. Harry Dunn, a former U.S. Capitol police officer who was serving in the Capitol during the attack, told NBC News that he sees Trump's actions then and now as hypocritical. 'Donald Trump is OK with violence, as long as it's done in his name. That's the message that he's sending right now,' Dunn said. 'That's why he pardoned the people on Jan. 6: They did it in his name … what about the officers on Jan. 6? Just put an asterisk by those officers and say, 'Not them. They stopped Donald Trump from succeeding.'' The White House says Trump is fulfilling his mandate. 'President Trump was elected to secure the border, equip federal officials with the tools to execute this plan, and restore law and order. This also underscores the need to pass the OBBB, which would provide record funding and resources to those on the front lines in Los Angeles,' White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in a statement, referring to Trump's push for his 'One big beautiful bill,' the legislative vehicle for his agenda currently before Congress. On Wednesday, NBC News also asked Attorney General Pam Bondi about how the Trump administration is handling California versus Jan. 6, 2021. 'Well, this is very different,' she said. 'These are people out there hurting people in California right now. This is ongoing. No longer. We're going to protect them. We're going to do everything we can to prosecute violent criminals in California. California is burning. These people are waving Mexican flags, yet they don't want anyone to go back to Mexico. They're burning American flags. This is the United States of America, and we're going to protect Americans. We're going to protect all citizens out there.' During the riot at the Capitol, no National Guard help arrived for hours, despite pleas from those inside the building. Then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller testified before a House panel that Trump never gave a formal deployment order, and other testimony described then-Vice President Mike Pence taking the lead in attempting to get the National Guard out to help control the mob. Meanwhile, rioters violently broke through barriers, smashed windows, brutalized officers and chanted threats to Pence. In all, at least 140 police officers were injured. Trump later called it ' a day of love ' and has referred to the rioters as ' hostages,' ' warriors ' and 'victims.' 'What they've done to some people that are so innocent, you ought to be ashamed of yourself,' Trump said to former President Joe Biden at last year's first presidential debate, referring to the rioters. 'What you have done, how you've destroyed the lives of so many people. Michael Fanone, a former D.C. police officer who was attacked by Rodriguez on Jan. 6, took issue with Trump's posture in California. Fanone called the president 'a hypocrite,' and 'a liar.' 'Had those people storming the Capitol been illegal f--- immigrants or Black people or any other group that … his base found to be displeasing, then they would have said 'open fire,'' Fanone said in an interview. The Los Angeles clashes began Friday as federal immigration agents attempted to carry out arrests in the city. Some protesters tried to stop vehicles carrying detained immigrants and the confrontations soon turned violent, with officers using pepper spray and batons. By Sunday, National Guard troops, outfitted with heavy military equipment, moved into downtown Los Angeles. Some demonstrators pelted law enforcement vehicles with rocks and debris, and set numerous vehicles on fire. Dozens of people were arrested over the weekend, and the L.A. Police Department reported five officers suffering minor injuries and two others treated and released from the hospital in recent days. By Monday, Trump had deployed the U.S. Marines into the state. At a news conference on Tuesday, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., both brought up comparisons to Jan. 6. 'We begged the President of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it,' Pelosi said. 'That day he didn't do it. He forgave those people.' Gomez spoke of the furor with which the events unfolded that day. 'There was 50,000 people outside,' Gomez said. 'They were scaling the walls, scaling the walls. They were bashing in, breaking in, with members of Congress, members of Congress, trapped in the gallery, including myself, including a lot of the people here.' Earlier this year, Trump issued more than 1,500 pardons or commutations for the Jan. 6 rioters on his first day in office. Among the crimes Trump dissolved was that of Stager, a 44-year-old truck driver from Arkansas who was sentenced to four years in prison for the flagpole assault. According to prosecutors, Stager was caught on a Jan. 6 video saying, 'Every single one of those Capitol law enforcement officers, death is the remedy, that is the only remedy they get.' Dunn, the former U.S. Capitol police officer, noted that the same Republicans who are in lockstep with Trump at this moment in California are the same ones who have refused to display a plaque commemorating those who died and were injured on Jan. 6. 'What about the blue from Jan. 6th? They don't even want to put the plaque up! Back the blue that way then,' Dunn added. 'It's hypocritical and they're aware that it's all about appeasing their base and appeasing the leader of their party, which is Donald Trump.'
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
Head of controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation refuses to reveal who funds it
TEL AVIV — The new executive chairman for the controversial American-backed humanitarian organization distributing aid in the Gaza Strip refused to reveal the donors who are financing the agency, though he did tell NBC News that to his knowledge the group is not funded by the Israeli government. Johnnie Moore, an evangelical Christian and former PR consultant who advised President Donald Trump during his first term, was appointed executive chairman of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) last week as the organization reeled from the resignation of his predecessor. It has also faced criticism from the United Nations and aid groups for a lack of independence from Israel, which backs the organization along with the U.S. Since it started operating late last month, the group has set up aid distribution sites in Gaza in response to international pressure over serious malnutrition in Gaza, where Israel recently lifted an 11-week complete blockade on food, aid and medical supplies entering the enclave. But regular bouts of deadly violence in and around those sites has also brought increasing scrutiny on the GHF's source of funding and the degree of autonomy it has from Israel. In an exclusive interview with NBC News last week, Moore said it was 'a private foundation.' 'Like lots of private foundations, you know, it doesn't disclose its donors,' he said. 'Anything that we do and anything that we say publicly is going to distract from the mission, and we have one mission, just one mission, which is to feed Gazans.' Pressed on accusations that Israel was financing and controlling the organization, Moore said that 'based upon what I know, this is an independent initiative that is not funded by the Israeli government.' Other questions have also swirled around the GHF, even before it launched four aid distribution points in southern and central Gaza. A day before it began operations in the strip, Moore's predecessor Jake Wood resigned, saying in a letter published by Reuters that continuing to work with the group would compromise his 'neutrality, impartiality and independence.' United Nations agencies and major aid groups that previously ran hundreds of community kitchens and bakeries in the enclave have also refused to cooperate with it, saying it violates humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to decide who receives aid, forces widespread displacement in Gaza, and concentrates distribution in areas that may not be accessible to everyone. Setting up so few sites for food distribution meant crowd control problems were inevitable, according to Ciaran Donnelly, the senior vice president for international programs at the International Rescue Committee, which ran major relief operations in Gaza. 'No aid organization would recommend doing it that way,' he said. Inside Israel, as well, critics have questioned its independence. Last month in front of Israel's legislature, opposition leader Yair Lapid, without providing evidence, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of funding the GHF through foreign shell companies. And last week, citing unnamed public officials, Israel's public broadcaster, Kan, reported that the Israeli government had sent hundreds of millions of shekels to the group. Israel's government has repeatedly denied it funds the GHF. Any organization 'being used by occupying powers' would not be able to carry out its task according to the humanitarian principles of impartiality and independence, said Philip Grant, the executive director of TRIAL International, a Geneva-based nongovernmental organization that advocates for victims of war crimes. TRIAL International has called on the Swiss government to investigate GHF, whose only registered presence outside the U.S. is in Geneva. While the GHF has said it is working to open new sites, including in northern Gaza, no such distribution points have opened yet, forcing some Palestinians with advanced injuries and disabilities to walk long distances for aid — often through dangerous areas and extreme heat. Such onerous requirements for something as basic as food could amount to war crimes, Grant said, and could even lead to accusations that organizations like GHF are complicit. 'This operation comes with a huge risk in terms of violations of the Geneva Conventions,' Grant said. 'Especially the forced displacement of populations, which, if carried out, would be a participation in the war crime of enforced displacement of civilian population.'
