The speech was likened to that of a wartime president.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday warned Americans in a televised address that the country is witnessing the initial phases of American democracy’s slide toward authoritarianism with the president’s deployment of the military to respond to peaceful protests in Los Angeles.

“California may be first, but it clearly will not end here,” Newsom said. “Other states are next. Democracy is next.”

“Democracy is under assault right before our eyes,” he continued. “The moment we’ve feared has arrived.”

The speech, which many remarked resembled that of a wartime president, further appeared to cement Newsom’s role as the Democratic Party’s primary voice of opposition, after repeatedly blasting Trump’s actions in LA.

Video of speech (excerpt): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3DKmottFCc

Video of full speech (about 9 minutes long): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzRSuavRzOo

  • pelespiritOPMEnglish
    3·
    4 days ago

    Note: I put this in the wrong thread, but I’m leaving it there.

    They’re saying this isn’t an LA deployment of the National Guard, but country-wide deployment according to his memo.

    The memo doesn’t mention any state or specific National Guard units, and while it says Guard troops will be in federal service for 60 days, the duration is ultimately “at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense.”

    “The idea that you can delegate the Secretary of Defense this authority to deploy the National Guard across the country is a use of these powers that I don’t believe we’ve seen before,” Chris Mirasola, a national security law professor at University of Houston Law Center, told Democracy Docket.

    Trump’s memo attempts to justify mobilization by asserting ongoing rebellion against the government, citing unspecified “incidents of violence and disorder.” It specifically categorizes “protests or acts of violence” that inhibit the execution of the laws as a form of rebellion.

    This is alarming in light of the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently alleging that speech can inhibit the execution of laws. It charged David Huerta, the president of one of the largest unions in the country, with conspiring to impede an officer — a felony — for protesting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at a private business June 6.

    https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/trump-california-national-guard-memo-ice-raids-protests/