Sen. Tom Cotton isn’t backing down on his request to send federal law enforcement officials to U.S. cities experiencing ongoing violent protests.
The Republican lawmaker from Arkansas told “Fox & Friends” that “the federal government cannot allow anarchists and insurrectionists to destroy federal courthouses, federal buildings, or other federal property.”
During his Tuesday appearance, he compared the “insurrectionists” protesting in the streets of Portland, Oregon to the “insurrectionists who seceded from the Union in 1861 in South Carolina and tried to take over Fort Sumter.”
“Just like President Lincoln wouldn't stand for that, the federal government today can not stand for the vandalism, the firebombing or any attacks on federal property," he added. "It is right to send federal law enforcement in to defend federal property and federal facilities."
This isn’t the first time Cotton has called for a military response to quell nationwide protests calling for racial justice.
After the death of George Floyd, a Black man, who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis sparked protests that sometimes turned violent, Cotton penned a controversial opinion piece published by The New York Times that called for a military response to demonstrations.
President Donald Trump has sent federal law enforcement officials to Portland to help with protests. On Sunday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told CNN he wanted them removed because their presence was leading to more violence.
On Monday, Trump praised the federal agents for their work and said he would consider deploying federal law enforcement officials to several other cities.
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