Political Quotes

“Americans are watching members of the military patrolling the streets of major cities in the United States of America. I never thought I would utter those words anywhere, let alone on the floor of the U.S. Senate--members of the military in our neighborhoods, on our streets, patrolling under authority. What authority? That is the question. That authority has been challenged, and it will continue under challenge because the courts are continuing to decide whether Donald Trump has turned the National Guard into an illegal police force, in effect, to serve his political ends and personal whims. But there is no question as to the fact that members of the military are in major cities despite clear and consistent objections from Governors, from mayors, from police chiefs, from community groups, from citizens across the United States, and, yes, from Members of the U.S. Senate. Today, in DC, California, Oregon, and Illinois, these National Guardsmen are not only patrolling the streets, they are aiding and supporting ICE crackdowns--again, despite challenges to their legality. Now, three district courts in California, Oregon, and Illinois have said it is illegal. One court of appeals has allowed it to go partially forward, but there remains a court order stopping it in Illinois, and the litigation will go forward. But here is the threat, the really dire and dangerous threat: President Trump has said that if those challenges prevail, he will invoke the Insurrection Act.”