A couple of Republican senators offer mild rebukes after Trump deploys Marines to L.A.
This was not an uncommon sentiment. As The New Republic noted, the latest national poll from YouGov suggested much of the public agrees with Newsom's point about the Marines' deployment: 'The number of people against the president's action eclipsed those who supported it by double digits, with 47 percent of polled Americans saying they disagreed with the order compared to 34 percent who approved.'
Even Jim McDonnell, Los Angeles' police chief, didn't sound especially pleased about the developments. 'The LAPD has not received any formal notification that the Marines will be arriving in Los Angeles. However, the possible arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles absent clear coordination presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city,' McDonnell said in a statement.
Are there are any Republican officials willing to make related comments? As it turns out, the yes — or at least, sort of. Politico reported:
Sen. Susan Collins, the powerful Senate Appropriations chair, became the first prominent Republican to oppose deploying active-duty Marines to Los Angeles — even as she backed the use of the National Guard to assist with the unrest. The Maine Republican said sending the National Guard to support state and local authorities, 'probably makes the most sense' amid violent protests against mass deportation policies. But Collins said she disagrees with President Donald Trump's decision to send Marines.
'I would draw a distinction between the use of the National Guard and the use of the Marines,' the senator told reporters. 'Active duty forces are generally not to be involved in domestic law enforcement operations.'
As rebukes go, this wasn't exactly a full-throated condemnation, but as Politico's report added, 'Collins' statements mark the first public break from Republican leadership on Trump's decision to deploy Marines, which could open the door for more internal dissent.'
It was against this backdrop that CNN's Manu Raju asked Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski if she also had any concerns about the president deploying U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. 'Yes,' the Alaska senator said without elaborating.
There's no point in exaggerating the severity of these comments, and there isn't yet any evidence to suggest Collins or Murkowski are prepared to take additional steps related to their apparent concerns. That said, the Trump White House is heavily invested in maintaining total partisan unity on all issues, at all times, and when it comes to sending Marines onto American streets for dubious reasons, it appears there are some cracks in the unified GOP wall.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
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