President Donald Trump's ordering of troops to deploy along the Mexican border is nothing more than a "stunt," Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday.
"I think it's unfortunate that we have soldiers there, and, frankly, in Arizona they are stationed in Tucson about 90 miles from the border," Flake said. "So, they are not forward deployed actually on the border. So, I think you can't call it anything but a stunt here, and it's unfortunate that they are going to be away from family during the holidays coming up, and we just don't know what really for."
Trump's critics have accused him of using military resources for political reasons, as the president railed against caravans of asylum-seeking migrants headed for the U.S. as a dangerous "invasion" in the weeks leading up to the midterms.
President Trump has fallen mostly silent on the issue since the election, Politico reported.
Coons told "Morning Joe" it was clear active duty military troops are not really needed for such a mission, since the border guard is fully capable of handling them.
Asked what he would tell the troops sent there, Coons said, "I would have to look them in the eye and say 'thank you for your service,' and I regret that our president is using you as a political stunt."