Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) defended “peaceful” protests in Los Angeles full of demonstrators showing their support for due process. Sanchez said President Donald Trump wants to create chaos and it is his administration that is breaking the law, not the protesters. “There is no need for this kind of legal force on the streets of Los Angeles,” Sanchez told CNN host Kasie Hunt.

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: What do you say to those protesters who, when night falls, have clearly engaged in acts of violence, of vandalism, of things that, you know, do very clearly violate the law? REP. LINDA SANCHEZ (D-CA): Sure. Well, we have been calling for protesters to protest peacefully. That is their constitutional right. The vast majority of protesters have been peaceful. There are always a few bad actors. And, yes, we think anybody who commits property damage ought to be arrested and they ought to be prosecuted. But to send in federal troops or Marines when there isn’t a war atmosphere or a war circumstance going on is just, it’s beyond the pale. I mean, it’s authoritarian flexing. It’s not making anybody safer. Local law enforcement has said they can handle the protests. It’s no different than when a team wins a national championship and people get overexcited and they overturn vehicles and light them on fire. Local law enforcement is prepared to handle those types of situations. Marines and National Guardsmen are not. Their job is to be very aggressive in war zones. Donald Trump is deploying these people on the streets of L.A. against U.S. citizens. I’ve never seen anything like it. It frightens me to my core because it is very clearly meant to intimidate. He’s sowing chaos. He wants to provoke a violent reaction because then he wants to use that as an excuse to send in these troops and flex his authoritarian muscles.

RealClearPolitics Videos