00:00Mr. Secretary, close to 5,000 Marines and National Guards have been deployed to LA without the request or consent of the California governor or the Los Angeles mayor, Bass.
00:14Rather than calming the situation, this troop deployment is purposefully inflaming and escalates tensions.
00:24You claim lethality is your top priority.
00:28Do you plan to unleash this lethal force against U.S. citizens and civilians in LA and other cities?
00:41Well, Senator, I would reject most of the characterization of that statement, including lethality against U.S. cities when all of those National Guards and Marines have conducted themselves with the utmost of professionalism, defending our federal agents, Americans.
00:57Well, we deserve to be able to do their job to deport illegal immigrants after the previous administration allowed 21 million illegals to cross our border.
01:05You know, I am not here to listen to your rhetorical responses.
01:07I would like to have a professional response that I would expect from somebody who is the Secretary of Defense.
01:13Millions of people peacefully demonstrated this weekend against the president acting like a king.
01:23Given this regime's dangerous policy of mobilizing troops inside the U.S., the politicizing of the military is a legitimate concern.
01:33So, given the dangerous policy of mobilizing troops inside the U.S., if ordered by the president, I'm going to ask you once again, to shoot peaceful protesters in the legs, would you carry out such an order from the president?
01:47Senator, as I've said before, of course, I reject the premise of your question and the characterization that I would be given or are given on lawful orders.
01:59It's all meant to attempt to smear the commander in chief and I won't fall for it.
02:02Again, considering that the president in his first term actually ordered such a thing, it is not a premise that you can reject.
02:11He can order it, do the same thing.
02:13So, again, I think you would just follow what the president wants you to do.
02:17Let's face it, it is not normal to call up our troops in this way and there is active litigation against this deployment.
02:26Will you follow a court's order regarding whether or not this deployment is legal?
02:34If the court says this deployment of troops into our cities is not legal, would you follow that court's order?
02:43It's pending in the courts, Senator.
02:45Well, when the court decides, would you follow that court's order decision?
02:50I don't believe district courts should be determining national security policy.
02:54So you will not be following that?
02:55When it goes to the Supreme Court, we'll see.
02:57Court?
02:58And unless the president decides to appeal, there you have it.
03:02So I take it that you don't consider district court decisions to be legitimate.
