Sen. Tammy Baldwin questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the legal authority for deploying active-duty Marines to Los Angeles to manage protests involving U.S. citizens. Baldwin demanded specific constitutional references, highlighting the administration's prior citation of a statute for the National Guard. Hegseth mentioned the president's authority but struggled to provide concrete citations during the exchange. He promised to follow up with Baldwin in providing the requested legal justification, emphasizing the historical precedent of using active-duty troops for law enforcement support.
Baldwin pressed Hegseth for specific legal authority related to deploying Marines, emphasizing the need for constitutional justification for using federal troops in California.
Hegseth acknowledged Baldwin's inquiries, referencing the need to pull up specific constitutional provisions for deploying active-duty Marines in the protests.
Baldwin insisted on clarity, noting that while the National Guard's deployment was statutory, the same clarity was not provided for the Marines.
Hegseth committed to providing Baldwin the specific authority regarding the Marines' deployment, reiterating the action is supported by historical precedent.
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