Trump Says He May Invoke
the Insurrection Act,
Here's What to Know About It In prepared remarks in the
White House Rose Garden on Monday,
President Donald Trump threatened to deploy the
U.S. military to put down violent protests in U.S. cities. If Trump does deploy the U.S. military,
he will do so under the Insurrection Act, a law
signed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807. The last time the act was invoked was in
1992 during the L.A. riots. It was also used in 1968
following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Trump stated that he would deploy
the U.S. military, regardless of whether
state official requested deployment. In order to do this, Trump must
first issue an order for "insurgents"
to disperse in a clearly laid out time frame. The Insurrection Act allows
unrequested deployment to quell
"unlawful assemblages," rebellion or
when the laws become unenforceable. However, the Posse Comitatus Act of
1878 prohibits the deployment of military troops
for use as police forces. Critics of Trump's use of the
Insurrection Act include NY Governor
Andrew Cuomo and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.