Click here to view Senator Cotton’s interview.
Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today joined America’s Newsroom on Fox News to discuss the ongoing riots in Los Angeles.
In part, Senator Cotton said:
“It's not provocative to enforce federal law. It's not provocative to do what President Trump campaigned on. What's provocative is to have all of these illegal aliens setting cars on fire while they wave the flags of foreign countries and now being joined by professional agitators from Antifa or pro-Hamas sympathizers. That has to stop. President Trump is committed that it's going to stop today. If Democratic mayors and governors can't do it, then the federal government will have to.”
Senator Cotton’s full interview may be found here and below.
Dana Perino: Now, before I get your take on this, we just remembered on June 3, 2020, you wrote an op ed in the New York Times. It caused a little controversy if you might recall. Tom Cotton: Send in the Troops. “The nation must restore order. The military stands ready”, and now here we are again, sir.
Senator Tom Cotton: Yeah, Dana, what we can't allow in this country is lawless violence against innocent civilians, against property, against federal personnel, and federal facilities. I'm not sure what pictures and video Cory Booker saw from Los Angeles, calling it peaceful protests, what I saw was uncontrolled rioting. You had cars being set on fire, law enforcement being pelted with bricks and cement and frozen water bottles, you had people blocking not just city streets but major highways, and attacks on both local and federal law enforcement. We simply can't allow that. We always hope that the local police are able to control the situation. Sometimes Democratic politicians like the Democratic mayor in Los Angeles may not let them control it. But if not, we have a responsibility to protect innocent lives and property in this country. That's what President Trump has said. That's why he called out the National Guard, and why he stands ready, if necessary, to use active-duty troops under the authority of the Insurrection Act to put an end to this violence. That's why we in Congress are acting as well. I'm introducing legislation that will increase penalties for rioters or those who attack law enforcement, that would make deportable offense to engage in such crimes. And our big plan not just to prevent the largest tax increase in history, but to provide ICE and immigration authorities with the money and the resources they need to continue to secure our border and to deport violent illegal criminals.
Bill Hemmer: Sir, it seems much of the Democratic reaction the words sometimes are almost the same. You just heard Cory Booker talk about chaos and confusion and blame it on Donald Trump. Kamala Harris made a rare public statement. She said, “Deploying the National Guards a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos,” –there's that word again– “in addition to recent ICE raids in Southern California across the country, it's part of the Trump administration's cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division,”– there's the phrase again. What happens now? If it's Los Angeles today, soon it'll be Chicago, maybe New York. What are we in for nationally, do you think?
Senator Cotton: Well Bill, the Los Angeles Police Department Chief has said his officers are overwhelmed. That's the case. The Democratic mayor and governor of California need to step in and use the National Guard and other law enforcement to help the LAPD restore order. But Kamala Harris talks about danger and chaos– that's what she and Joe Biden presided over for four years when we had a slow-motion invasion of this country. In the election last year, the American people voted to secure our border and to deport illegal aliens, especially violent criminals of the kind that were apprehended in California late last week. It's not provocative to enforce federal law. It's not provocative to do what President Trump campaigned on. What's provocative is to have all of these illegal aliens setting cars on fire while they wave the flags of foreign countries and now being joined by professional agitators from Antifa or pro-Hamas sympathizers. That has to stop. President Trump is committed that it's going to stop today. If Democratic mayors and governors can't do it, then the federal government will have to.
Perino: Could you answer a question on the law? Because here's a little bit from a Washington Post article saying that “Trump charts new territory by bypassing Newsom to deploy National Guard. Legal experts question the President's response to unrest in LA, saying he appears to be laying groundwork for more expansive use of the military to suppress dissent.” Is the law clear here on the President's side?
Senator Cotton: The law is entirely clear. The National Guard, they’re traditionally operating under governor's authorities, can be federalized and can be used by the President to restore basic order and to enforce federal law. That's what Dwight Eisenhower did in my state in the 1950s when a Democratic governor refused to integrate Little Rock Central. Then the Insurrection Act is also a backstop to the National Guard to provide the President for use of active-duty troops. President Trump has said we're not there yet, but he does stand by ready to do so if necessary. That's what I said we should do in 2020 as well. We need to have our authorities ready if local police are not allowed or unable to restore basic law in order to protect innocent civilians’ property, and especially to enforce federal law.
Hemmer: It'll be interesting to find out who's holding those Mexican flags. Maybe in time we will. Seems like a win for a long, hot summer. We'll see where it goes from here. Senator, thank you for your time. Tom Cotton, out of Arkansas. Thanks.