The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Blumenthal and Murphy seek limit on military, police response to protests
WASHINGTON — As protests rock the nation, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced legislation Thursday that would limit a president’s power to deploy the military to respond to civilian unrest in the U.S.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., announced a new bill with Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., that would require federal law enforcement to show identification when they’re conducting crowd control.
Both measures are a rebuke of the force President Donald Trump has used — or threatened to use — to deal with civil unrest resulting from the recent death of another black man at the hand of police.
Blumenthal said he was alarmed when President Donald Trump said Monday he would send military troops to any state or city where law enforcement did not “dominate” the streets to prevent looting and rioting, although most protests against the killing of George Floyd are largely peaceful.
Last used during the Rodney King riots in 1992, the Insurrection Act of 1807 gives presidents sweeping powers to move troops and federalize National Guard forces to suppress civil unrest and rebellion. Trump’s remarks made Blumenthal realize the law should be clarified and limited, Blumenthal said.
“His statement struck me as potentially deeply dangerous,” Blumenthal said. “He seemed to be acting without any restraint in using military force against American citizens demonstrating peacefully on our streets and communities... that alarm made me think about what kinds of restraints could be imposed because right now he has very broad, virtually undefined powers under that Insurrection Act.”
Blumenthal’s bill would require a president to “consult with Congress” before using the Insurrection Act and require the administration to provide justifications for its use. It would state that the Insurrection Act can only be used to uphold, not restrict civil rights, and give expedited legal recourse to challenge misuse of the law. The bill would make it easier for govenors to request federal military help under the law.
Members of the Trump administration and Republican senators have said in recent days that the Insurrection Act should only used as a “last resort.”
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said: "The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations. We are not in one of those situations now."
Trump has brought some military troops to bases around Washington, D.C. but has not yet used them to respond to unrest in the city. No governor has requested that Trump deploy troops to his or her state.
Instead, his administration has sent officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Prisons to the D.C. streets to deal with protests with local police. Many of these officials have worn uniformed that did not state their agency and refused to say where they worked, while responding to protests.
“Americans have a right to know who is patrolling their streets, and to have recourse if their massive power is misused,” Murphy said. “That’s why Leader Schumer and I are introducing legislation that requires all federal law enforcement officers and members of the Armed Forces to clearly identify themselves and their service or agencies, last name, and badge number or rank while they are engaged in crowd control at protests or other events.”
Across the country, hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated over the past week against racism and discriminatory policing after the May 25 death of Floyd, a black man, at the hands of Minneapolic Police officers. Most of the protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, but violent individuals at the fringes have used the protests to loot and cause property damage in many cities.
Blumenthal joined a small group of protestors in Bridgeport Saturday and said he plans to participate in more demonstrations over the weekend in Connecticut.