Trump Hints at Big Move: Invoking the Insurrection Act

President Trump still has a big, and controversial, card he could play in regard to the Los Angeles protests: invoking the Insurrection Act. "If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it," he told reporters on Tuesday, reports Reuters. "We'll see." Coverage:

• The 1807 act "is among the most extreme emergency powers available to a sitting president," explains Axios. It allows a president to summon US troops to put down domestic unrest.
• Yes, Trump already has ordered Marines and the National Guard to Los Angeles under a separate legal authority, but their duties are legally limited to protecting federal property and personnel, per Politico. If Trump invokes the act, they could directly intervene against protesters. Critics including Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal view what Trump has done as a "backdoor" way of invoking the act.

• Trump has been using language that appears to be laying the groundwork for invoking the act, notes the New York Times. On Monday, for example, he described protesters as "insurrectionists" and "professional agitators." However, at another point on Monday, he said, "I wouldn't quite call it an insurrection, but it could have led to an insurrection," per CNN.
• The CNN piece notes that top Trump aide Stephen Miller has been using the term regularly to describe the protests. An insurrection "is generally defined as a violent revolt or rebellion against the government," writes Aaron Blake. It "isn't about the level of violence; it's about the target and purpose of it." When asked to define it, Trump himself said: "You actually really just have to look at the site to see what's happening."
• The last time the act was used was in 1992 in the aftermath of the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles, notes ABC News. "Some legal experts have warned the law is overly broad and vague," writes Alexandra Hutzler, "and there have been various calls for it to be reformed to provide greater checks on presidential power."

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