Duckworth: Trump is Forcing Our Servicemembers to Make a Horrible Choice

Duckworth: Trump is Forcing Our Servicemembers to Make a Horrible Choice

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - At this morning's U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) underscored the devastating toll Donald Trump's domestic military deployments are having on American servicemembers and citizens alike in Illinois and across the country. The Senator slammed Trump for manufacturing circumstances where reasonable civilians could end up fearing the same troops they once counted on to protect them-something that neither makes America safer nor more secure. Video of the Senator's questioning can be found on her YouTube.

Key Quotes:

• "For the past two months, Illinoisans have seen DHS federal agents abusing our communities, and President Trump wanted to put our troops in the middle. He wants our military to protect agents who were tear-gassing toddlers, pointing loaded weapons at unarmed bystanders, hauling preschool teachers from daycare in front of kids and propelling from helicopters onto apartment buildings in the dead of night to rip families from their beds and detain them for hours-just to admit later that they have no basis to file any charges."

• "What are our troops supposed to do if they witness an agent throw a child to the ground? Do they intervene and pull the agent off the kid? Do they stand by and do nothing? Trump is forcing them to make a horrible choice: uphold their loyalty to the Constitution and protect peaceful protesters, or execute orders from the President…Our troops could be dragged into court and would be on their own to plead their case to a jury, all because their Commander in Chief put them in an unprecedented situation that they don't regularly train for. And if that servicemember decides not to intervene, what will Americans think when they see someone in uniform-who they were taught serves to protect them-standing by as a child is harmed by one of Trump's abusive DHS agents?"

• "I fear the day when Americans stop thanking our troops for their service because they're afraid of them. We know that this Administration is trying to borrow the respected image of the military. Across the country, we've seen DHS agents dressing in camo and wielding military-style weapons. They are making it hard for Americans to tell the difference between abusive federal agents and professional troops. If we fail to draw a bright line between our highly trained troops and lawless federal agents, I fear our public's trust in our military may never recover."

-30-