‘We Don’t Do That’: John Allen Rebukes Tom Cotton’s Call to Send ‘American Troops Against American Civilians’

Retired Marine Corps General John Allen followed up his condemnation of President Donald Trump by rebuking Senator Tom Cotton’s (R-AR) call for the military to be mobilized against the protests over George Floyd’s death.

On Thursday, Allen gave an interview to CNN International’s Christiane Amanpour, wherein he elaborated on his condemnation for Trump’s leadership and threats to use force against America’s social unrest. Amanpour asked Allen for his thoughts about Cotton’s op-ed for The New York Times, in which the senator urged Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the National Guard.

Allen replied by saying governors and mayors already have “enormous” law enforcement capacity at their disposal, so he was skeptical that a civil disturbance could ever get so massive as to go beyond state government control.

“The idea of sending in federal troops because there’s a riot in a particular area far exceeds the need here,” Allen said. “I know Tom Cotton. He’s a fine gentleman, but he’s just wrong…We don’t need to have threats leveled against the governors that if they have difficulty on their streets, we now need to send in federal forces, if you will. American troops to be used against American civilians. We don’t do that.”

From there, Allen turned back to his view that the forceful removal of peaceful protesters from Lafayette Park was a “horrific” violation of their civil rights.

Watch above, via CNN International.

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