Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Hegseth pushed on whether Trump has double standard for protests
Posted
June 11, 2025
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June 11, 2025
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2:30Now PlayingDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth would not directly answer a question from a Democratic lawmaker Wednesday about whether he supported the decision to activate the National Guard during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Hegseth has strongly defended President Donald Trump’s militarized response to the protests over federal immigration raids in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said during a budget subcommittee hearing that he wanted to give Hegseth a chance to respond to concerns that the Trump administration was applying a double standard to protests .
“The president, when he came into office, issued pardons to the individuals that attacked the United States Capitol, including those individuals who beat savagely police officers,” he said. “You have deployed the National Guard and readied Marines in a way that many people think is unnecessary given the state and the local resources.”
Murphy asked if Hegseth supported the National Guard being sent to defend the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
“All I know is it's the right decision to be deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles to defend ICE agents who deserve to be defended in the execution of their jobs,” Hegseth said.
Murphy pressed twice more, adding that it was important for people to know “that you care about protest, whether it's against the president or on behalf of the president.”
Hegseth didn’t answer the senator’s question, but added that he was a part of the D.C. Army National Guard at that time and was initially ordered to guard President Joe Biden’s inauguration, but “because of the politicization of the Biden administration, my orders were revoked."
After some crosstalk, Murphy said Hegseth’s response “speaks to the worry that many Americans have that there is a double standard, that you are not willing to defend against attacks made on our democracy by supporters of the president, but you are willing to deploy the National Guard to protect against protesters who are criticizing the president.”
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