Democrats plot next move to stop Trump from seizing even more power amid LA riots

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Democrats are increasingly worried that President Donald Trump will seize more power to use military action amid the anti-ICE LA riots.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is working on legislation to try and prevent this.
Trump has mobilized the National Guard and deployed Marines to Los Angeles after violence and destruction ensued over the last week.
But the president has not yet imposed the Insurrection Act of 1792, which would give him even more power to use military action in the largest California city.
He also didn't rule out the possibility of using the presidential power.
Blumenthal is seeking to preemptively stop this action by overhauling the broad act and limiting presidential powers for deploying troops within the U.S.
He and other Democrats are concerned that Trump will use the unrest as a 'pretext' for imposing Martial law.
'As Trump moves to expand military deployments, possibly using protests in L.A. as a pretext for more broadly silencing free speech or even imposing martial law, I'll be reintroducing reforms to the Insurrection Act that check potential abuse or overreach,' Blumenthal posted to X late Monday night.
Meanwhile, one Democrat – Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania – is calling on his party to condemn the violence and the riots.
'I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that,' Fetterman wrote on X with an image of cars on fire with a masked rioter waving a Mexican flag.
He continued: 'This is anarchy and true chaos. My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.'
Billionaire Elon Musk replied to the post with an emoji of an American flag.
The protests against ICE raids and Trump's illegal immigration crackdown have descended into rioting, looting and attacks against law enforcement.
So far in response, Trump has deployed more than 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 active duty Marines stationed at Twentynine Palms in Southern California, just 60 miles from Los Angeles.
This deployment has flown in the face of liberal local and state leaders who have actively put in place laws and 'sanctuary city' policies that thwart federal immigration raids and any cooperation between law enforcement in California with ICE authorities.
Trump says that California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass – both Democrats – have lost control of the situation in Los Angeles.
Newsom, however, says local and state authorities can handle it without interference from federal authorities or troops.
He also claims that the troop deployment has only stirred more unrest.
Blumenthal told Politico: 'The mainstream of America really believes deeply that our military should be used to defend our national interests and security, not to silence protest at home.'
The Connecticut senator talked last year about overhauling the Insurrection Act after Trump said he would consider sending the military into U.S. cities to deal with crime and violence.
He reupped the idea late on Monday.
'I first introduced Insurrection Act reforms before the election, fearing that future misuse of the military might only inflame conflict & threaten key rights. Now that nightmare seems imminently, fearfully real. Congress must act,' Blumenthal posted to X.