On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Early Start,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) stated that “the only crisis here is Donald Trump, and that’s because he wants a crisis. He wants a crisis so he can roll tanks in big cities, make it look normal. And he wants that because he intends to try to carry out a coup.” And if Guard troops “start committing local crimes, they can be prosecuted locally. They should be prosecuted locally. And here’s the big part: Donald Trump cannot pardon a National Guard person who, unjustifiably killed someone, harmed someone, detained someone in violation of state law. He can’t do it.”
Krasner said, “We’re talking about someone who lies all the time, and one of those lies is that these big cities are not doing well with public safety. In fact, as of this morning, Philly is at a 50-plus-year low in homicides. We’re down in 14 out of 18 categories and subcategories of crime. This is just a lie. It’s a lie in D.C. It’s a lie in L.A. It’s a lie in Chicago. It’s a lie in Philly. And it’s a lie by a criminal who pardons criminals, insurrectionists, people who are basically engaging in treason against the United States. Simply put, the only crisis here is Donald Trump, and that’s because he wants a crisis. He wants a crisis so he can roll tanks in big cities, make it look normal. And he wants that because he intends to try to carry out a coup.”
Host MJ Lee then asked, “So, you mentioned the city of Chicago, and the President has said that cities like Chicago and New York are at the top of his list. What do you say, I wonder, to any residents of cities like that who might say, I do think crime is a big problem and I don’t mind the idea of more law enforcement where I live, because that does kind of boil down one of the President’s main arguments, right? That, he claims, there are people pleading with him for an enforcement crackdown where they live.”
Krasner responded, “It’s a typical Trumpian lie. It’s basically all that he does. National Guard is not law enforcement. This is not increasing law enforcement. If you want to have more police in Philadelphia, Chicago, etc., then fund them, just like we should fund the safety net that prevents so much crime, which, of course, he doesn’t want to do. But let’s not pretend that National Guard troops or U.S. military who are trained to kill the enemy are trained to be peacekeepers among the citizenry. That’s not real. We’ve seen the tragedies that can occur here, including at Kent State in the 1970s, when National Guard troops killed a bunch of students and shot a bunch of other students. This is just a wannabe dictator trying to lay the groundwork so people think it’s normal to do stuff that is unconstitutional.”
He continued, “D.C. is a place where Trump can get away with more because the law permits it. He cannot get away with this in big cities. It violates the 10th Amendment. It violates a variety of laws. And if those supposed anti-crime forces, which they’re not at all, if they show up and they start committing local crimes, they can be prosecuted locally. They should be prosecuted locally. And here’s the big part: Donald Trump cannot pardon a National Guard person who, unjustifiably killed someone, harmed someone, detained someone in violation of state law. He can’t do it.”
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