Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he would obey a Supreme Court order to remove troops from Los Angeles but declined to show similar deference to other courts considering the issue.
But the Defense secretary later clarified that he would obey a decision from the high court.
“We’re not here to defy a Supreme Court ruling,” he said.
Trump has ordered the Pentagon to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel in response to mass deportation protests.
Breyer declined Newsom’s request to immediately block Hegseth from using troops to support immigration arrests in Los Angeles.
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, stated on Thursday that he would comply with a Supreme Court order to withdraw troops from Los Angeles, but he refused to extend the same deference to other courts that are deliberating on the matter.
During a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, the Pentagon chief first avoided answering the question of whether he would follow a court’s ruling if it found that President Donald Trump’s use of National Guard troops and Marines was illegal.
What I can say is that local judges shouldn’t decide the nation’s foreign or national security policies, Hegseth stated.
However, the defense secretary subsequently clarified that he would follow a high court ruling.
“Our goal is not to overturn a Supreme Court decision,” he declared.
Similar to other officials who have voiced their disapproval of court decisions that contradict the Trump administration, the remarks frequently target lower-court judges with scathing remarks while pledging respect for the justices.
Trump has directed the Pentagon to send 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles to defend Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers amid widespread demonstrations against deportations. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing to get the troops out, claiming they are unnecessary.
In a filing on Wednesday, the Trump administration urged a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit, describing it as a “crass political stunt.”. “”.
Before U, the matter is still pending. A. The emergency hearing for District Judge Charles Breyer is set for Thursday afternoon. Newsom asked Breyer to stop Hegseth from deploying troops to assist with immigration arrests in Los Angeles right away, but Breyer refused.
During Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen.’s third budget hearing this week, the matter became a hot topic. Dan Caine, covering everything from Hegseth’s attempts to eradicate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the department to Ukraine aid.
Rep. Khanna, Ro (D-Calif. kept asking Hegseth if he would abide by a court decision. Khanna questioned, “Are you not prepared to state that you would respect those decisions?”.
Hegseth retorted, “I’m saying that foreign policy shouldn’t be made by local district judges. “”.
On social media site X, Newsom reposted a video of the interaction. “This is not typical,” he stated.
Any order to restrict the deployment would probably be appealed by the administration to a California appeals court and ultimately to the Supreme Court if Breyer takes Newsom’s side.
In separate testimony to Congress on Wednesday, the defense secretary proposed that the administration send troops to other locations to help with deportations and roundups. He was unable to provide the deployments’ legal basis right away during that hearing.
