Washington US Rep. Smith decries 'militarization of America,' will summon Joint Chiefs to hearing
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Washington congressman who chairs the powerful House Armed Services Committee is decrying the "militarization of America" by President Donald Trump in response to public and largely peaceful protests, and plans to call the Joint Chiefs of Staff before his committee next week.
"Use of the military, describing the situation as 'war,' using 'overwhelming force' to crush the protest, is the wrong approach, the wrong use of the military," Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., told a Tuesday morning press briefing.
Smith noted the Sunday night vandalism in Bellevue, where he lives, but said "misguided rhetoric" intensifies the national crisis. He singled out advice, given to governors by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, that they "mass and dominate the battlespace" as a way of crushing street protests.
A Trump photo op on Monday night has intensified Smith's concerns.
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