Senator Slotkin Confronts Defense Secretary Hegseth on Military Use Against Protesters

Concerns Over Military Use Against Civilians

• 💡 Senator Slotkin expresses deep concern about the potential use of the military in ways that contradict the Constitution and taint its apolitical nature.
• 🎯 She questions Secretary Hegseth about accepting an order, similar to one given to his predecessor, to deploy active duty troops against unarmed protesters and potentially shoot at them.

Deployment to Los Angeles

• ⚠️ Slotkin highlights the deployment of 4,700 troops to Los Angeles against the governor's wishes, noting it's the first time since 1965 that guard troops were deployed without gubernatorial permission.
• 🏛️ She argues this deployment is a political decision and questions the best interests of the military and democracy.

Authority to Arrest and Detain

• ❓ Slotkin directly asks if the uniform military has been authorized to detain or arrest protesters in Los Angeles.
• ⚖️ Hegseth states that troops are there to protect law enforcement and clarifies that while they can temporarily detain individuals to hand over to ICE in self-defense, there is no arresting of US military personnel against protesters.
• 💻 Slotkin also inquires about the authorization of US military cyber tools to investigate protesters, to which Hegseth responds he is not aware of any such actions.

Lethal Force and Predecessor's Actions

• 💥 Slotkin presses Hegseth on whether he has given an order for the military to shoot at unarmed protesters, referencing his predecessor's refusal to accept such an order.
• 🗣️ She criticizes Hegseth's dismissal of the issue and emphasizes the importance of an apolitical military, urging him to confirm that no order for lethal force has been given.

Planning for Future Conflicts

• 🌍 The discussion briefly shifts to planning for potential actions in Iran, with Slotkin asking about 'day after' planning, force protection, and cost assessments for ground troops.
• 🔒 Hegseth confirms that plans exist for all scenarios and mentions a classified portion of the discussion to follow.