Cuellar: Trump Was Right to Use Guard in L.A., It Wasn’t Just Peaceful Protest

On Friday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) stated that President Donald Trump handled the situation with the National Guard in Los Angeles correctly and “if there was a peaceful protest, that would have been one thing. But the moment we started seeing images of cars being burned and violence and throwing of bricks, then it changes. And then that’s why you start talking about bringing the National Guard in at that particular time.”

Host Blake Burman asked, “So the court said that the President could federalize the National Guard. Do you think you got this one right?”

Cuellar answered, “I think he did. Look, the thing is, if there was a peaceful protest, that would have been one thing. But the moment we started seeing images of cars being burned and violence and throwing of bricks, then it changes. And then that’s why you start talking about bringing the National Guard in at that particular time. If those peaceful protests — which they have a right to do that — but those fires that I’m looking at [on] your screen right now, when you see that, that’s not good. And I believe that’s why the National Guard came in at this time. Look, I’m for peaceful protests, but any time you start creating — throwing bricks and hammers and burning cars and it turns criminal, then you’re talking about something that’s very different.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett