Pentagon draws up rules on possible use of force for Marines in Los Angeles as governor slams 'dictatorial' Trump [View all]
Source: The Independent
Monday 09 June 2025 23:59 EDT
The Pentagon is scrambling to decide clear rules for how the 700 U.S. Marines being deployed to Los Angeles by the Trump administration may use force against protesters. The Marines will be armed with service weapons and be authorized to act in self-defense, according to internal documents and interviews with nine anonymous U.S. officials by The Associated Press.
But troops will be forbidden to use warning shots and instructed to deescalate conflicts whenever possible, The AP said. They will be equipped with gas masks and shields, but no tear gas. The rules illustrate the potential dangers of Donald Trump's rare, controversial decision to send troops trained for military operations in active warzones to one of the country’s biggest cities.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has accused the White House of trying to use the city as a "test case" for expanding its powers over local governments. "I don’t think our city should be used for an experiment," she told reporters on Monday night.
California Governor Gavin Newsom described the Marines' involvement as "the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president", and has filed a lawsuit against the federal government for deploying 4,000 National Guard members to the city against his wishes.
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/us-marines-los-angeles-protests-b2766898.html
Their teevee show production of yanking around G.I. Joes, with no food or housing, would be the latest show of illegal actions if it ever came to fruition.
Some might recall when they finally called out the National Guard after January 6 (and note that this was BEFORE Biden was sworn in), the Guard had to sleep on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda.
U.S. CAPITOL, POST JANUARY 6, 2021
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