Senator Dick Durbin, the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has called on Chairman Chuck Grassley to schedule an immediate hearing regarding President Trump’s threats to deploy military forces to Chicago and other cities. Durbin’s request follows reports that the Pentagon has been preparing for such a deployment at the direction of President Trump.
In his letter to Chairman Grassley, Durbin wrote: “I request that you immediately convene a Judiciary Committee hearing on President Trump’s threats to deploy the military to Chicago and other American cities. Reports indicate that the Pentagon has been planning this dangerous, unwarranted, and unconstitutional military deployment at Trump’s direction ‘for weeks.’ These threats come as the Administration has already deployed American troops unlawfully and unnecessarily against their fellow Americans in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.”
Durbin highlighted constitutional concerns related to federalism and civil liberties in his letter: “Domestic deployment of the military into American communities raises serious issues within the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee that warrant an immediate hearing. The founders of this nation understood that an unchecked military turned inward on its own people is a grave threat to ordered liberty. These liberties include the rights of speech and assembly safeguarded by the First Amendment and the protection against unreasonable searches and seizures secured by the Fourth Amendment. To protect against threats to these liberties posed by the improper use of the military in domestic affairs, our founders included two core principles within the structure of our government. These are the principles of federalism, enshrined in the Tenth Amendment, and civilian control over the military, with a clear dividing line between military operations and civilian law enforcement, a principle that is enshrined in the Constitution and is also codified in the Posse Comitatus Act.”
He concluded by emphasizing what he described as risks to democracy: “The President’s threats to unlawfully and unnecessarily deploy the military to police our communities is a grave threat to the very foundations of democracy and the rule of law in our country. As officials within the Department of Defense itself recently underscored, American military forces operating in U.S. communities can have ‘far-reaching social, political, and operational effects.’ These far-reaching implications for our democracy, our communities, and the rule of law require immediate consideration by this Committee.”
Durbin has previously joined other Illinois Democratic members of Congress urging both President Trump and Pentagon leaders not to proceed with any plans involving troop deployments or use of facilities like Naval Station Great Lakes.
On Tuesday from Senate floor remarks, Durbin labeled these potential actions as “dangerous, illegal, and unconstitutional” if carried out.
A copy of Senator Durbin’s letter can be accessed online.
