WASHINGTON — President announced today (Saturday 30th) that military police were ready to deploy to Minneapolis amid ongoing protests in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.
President Trump as he left the White House today on his way to Florida for the second attempt of the SpaceX launch, he said:
“We have our military ready, willing and able, if they ever want to call our military. We can have troops on the ground very quickly. They’re using their National Guard right now, as you know.”
Speaking of Minnesota government officials, President said:
“They’ve got to be tough, they’ve got to be strong, they’ve got to be respected,”
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If the President decides to move on with the deployment of military police, it would take service members from around the country and deploy them to Minneapolis. Insurrection Act of 1807 allows for a state legislature or governor to request assistance in the event of civil unrest, even if active-duty forces are normally prohibited from taking part in domestic law enforcement.
President Trump has been critical of Minnesota’s response, calling the Minneapolis mayor “radical” and unprepared to deal with the protests.
The assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Mr. Jonathan Rath Hoffman said in a statement today that:
“the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman have personally spoken with Governor Walz twice in the last 24-hours and expressed the department’s readiness to provide support to local and state authorities as requested.”
“At this time there is no request by the Governor of Minnesota for forces to support the Minnesota National Guard or state law enforcement, The U.S. Northern Command was ordered to increase their alert status from a 48-hour recall to a 4-hour status in case the governor requested their assistance.”
By Alex Ammohostianos
