The Untold Power of Bill Barr to Direct US Military Forces in Case of “Civil Unrestâ€
by Ryan Goodman and Steve Vladeck
June 9, 2020
Left completely to his own devices, President Trump apparently sees no problem with deploying U.S. military forces to American streets even when there’s no need for such intervention. The president reportedly wanted to deploy 10,000 troops just last week in the face of nationwide protests over racial injustice even though no state requested such assistance. But that’s not the only scenario worrying many close observers. Other potential situations include the president’s invoking emergency powers to put boots on the ground to suppress voting in the November election or to quell mass protests if he disputes the outcome.
Indeed, many of the former senior officials who have recently spoken out against “misuse of the military for political purposes†are keenly aware of these looming threats to the country. Some of them accordingly directed their criticisms toward Defense Secretary Mark Esper as well.
https://www.justsecurity.org/70672/the-untold-power-of-bill-barr-to-direct-us-military-forces-in-case-of-civil-unrest/
