Hegseth Defends Military Presence in LA as Fully Legal and Urgently Needed

Ver Hegseth Defends Military Presence in LA as Fully Legal and Urgently Needed - Diario As en Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Under the previous administration, I would...

00:01Are you prepared to authorize DHS to use drones and also to authorize military forces to detain or arrest American citizens?

00:10Senator, every authorization we've provided, the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles,

00:16is under the authority of the President of the United States, is lawful and constitutional.

00:20They are assisting in defending...

00:22So the answer is yes.

00:23...law enforcement officers...

00:24So the answer is yes.

00:25...law enforcement facilities...

00:26So the answer is yes.

00:27...in the execution of their job...

00:29...the answer is yes.

00:30...in the city of Los Angeles.

00:33Your whole ethic seems to be revolving on the lethality of the military force.

00:39How is this operation with Marines and National Guardsmen improving their lethality?

00:47Senator, you mentioned the 11,000 at the border.

00:49It's actually 13,000.

00:51And I've been down there to speak with them multiple times.

00:54And people will say that mobilization hurts readiness.

00:57When you talk to them, it actually improves their readiness.

00:59I'm talking about lethality.

01:00That's what you talk about all the time.

01:02Readiness.

01:03Readiness and training and accountability is all part of lethality.

01:06No, that's right.

01:07Training.

01:07The more ready you are, the more capable you are, the more accountable you are, the higher your standards are.

01:12How much...

01:12It all makes you more lethal.

01:13And the mission in Los Angeles, as you know well, sir, is not about lethality.

01:19It's about maintaining law and order on behalf of law enforcement agents who deserve to do their job without being attacked by mobs of people.

01:27And so we're very proud that the National Guard and the Marines are on the streets defending the ICE agents and they will continue to do that.

01:35That, in order, is a civil function under the Constitution of the United States.

01:40Civil enforcement, law enforcement authorities, not the U.S. military.

01:46And...

01:47There's plenty of precedent for the U.S. military supporting law enforcement officers.

01:51What your military is doing right now is laying Constantinowire, guarding buildings, maintaining vehicles for other services.

01:59This is not only, I think, illegal, but also a diminution of the readiness and the focus of the military.

02:07But let me change course a bit.