Senator calls out Trump for using military as political weapon

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut says President Donald Trump "only cares about protests when they're opposing him," otherwise he rewards violence from his allies.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut appeared on MSNBC Monday morning to discuss President Donald Trump’s outsized military response to protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles. 

“Donald Trump only cares about protests when they're opposing him. Every single day we should be reminding the American public that there were protesters at the Capitol fighting for Donald Trump to install him in power permanently on January 6 of 2021, who beat the hell out of police officers with metal poles and tasers and are out on the street today,” he said.

Murphy added that Trump’s unbalanced approach to power, sending in the National Guard despite state and local law enforcement’s objections, is “fundamentally undemocratic,” and a dangerous endorsement of violence. 

“The message is simply, if you're violent in service of a Republican cause, you'll get a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card. But if you're engaged in protest against the administration, well then we're sending in the National Guard,” he continued.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump refused to deploy the National Guard, even as violence from his “Stop the Steal” rally turned into an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. The House select committee later uncovered evidence that his administration intended for the National Guard to be used solely to “protect pro Trump people.”

Since returning to power, Trump has pardoned thousands of Jan. 6 insurrectionists convicted of participating in an act of terrorism and conspiracy against the United States. He’s even floated the idea of financially rewarding them for their role in attempting to overturn the democratic process. 

Trump’s selective use of force and his pattern of threatening and punishing dissent while protecting the criminal behavior of his allies highlights just how dangerous he is to democracy.