2 days ago
Retired US Navy Seal calls LA riots a ‘serious failure' in leadership
A retired US Navy Seal has praised US President Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard and the US Marine Corps.
The Trump administration has ordered US Marines into LA and intensified raids on suspected undocumented immigrants, fuelling more outrage from street protesters in the city's downtown area.
On Wednesday, retired US Navy Seal Mike Sarraille appeared on Sunrise, speaking to Nat Barr and Matt Shirvington about Trump's decision to deploy the military force.
'I would say he doesn't have to defend it,' Sarraille said.
Sarraile called the LA riots a 'serious failure' in local and state leadership.
'We have a serious breakdown in public order and a serious failure in leadership of not only the California Governor Gavin Newsom, as well as Karen Bass, the Los Angeles Mayor.
By Tuesday morning (US local time), about 700 Marines were expected to reach LAs, as part of a strategy to quell the street demonstrations.
The official mission of the Marines is to protect federal personnel and property.
The deployment is being considered an extraordinary use of military force in support of a police operation.
The state of California sued the Trump administration to block deployment of the National Guard and the Marines on Monday, arguing it violates federal law and state sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Trump officials have branded the protests as lawless and blamed state and local Democrats for permitting upheaval and protecting illegal immigrants with sanctuary cities.
'We're at a point where he had to deploy both the National Guard and the Marine Corps to get the chaos under order and save the city,' Sarraille said.
The last time the military was used for direct police action under the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when the California governor at the time asked President George H.W. Bush to help respond to LA race riots over Rodney King.
'Psychological message to rioters'
Sarraille was also asked about his view the use of US Marines.
'The Marines ... really sends a psychological message to the rioters that this is not OK, and this is stopping now,' adding that he didn't think the use of Marines would fan the flames in other cities.
'I don't think it will,' he said.
'So, what we are now in the nation, is at a hyper state of vigilance, especially with our large cities, they're keeping an eye out for an uprising of any protests. They will be ready to respond quickly.
'(Because) we can ill afford as the United States to have another BLM (Black Lives Matter)-type riots going on across the nation, which resulted in loss of life, as well as billions in damages.'
The protests so far have resulted in a few dozen arrests and some property damage.
Protests also sprung up in at least nine other US cities on Monday including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, according to local news outlets.
In Austin, Texas, police fired nonlethal munitions and detained several people as they clashed with a crowd of several hundred protesters.
