Cotton: If Local Law Enforcement Overwhelmed, Let’s See How Anarchists Respond When the 101st Airborne Is on the Other Side of the Street

Monday on Fox News, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) suggested if local law enforcement were overwhelmed and local politicians were unwilling to act to quell rioting and looting, the federal government should intervene.

The Arkansas senator told “Fox & Friends” the federal government had options at its disposal as to how it could get involved.

“[F]irst, I commend the president for recognizing that Antifa ought to be treated like a terror organization,” he said. “There are a lot of tools that the president and the Department of Justice has in their toolkit, from the Insurrection Act to the Explosives Act to the Riot Act, than can be used to stop this anarchy. Let’s be clear in the broader context here. The video of George Floyd’s death is deeply disturbing. I welcome the quick action by local authorities and the Department of Justice to investigate, to get the facts, and to do justice for George Floyd in accordance with law. And we always respect the rights of peaceful protesters but anarchy, rioting, and looting, we have zero tolerance for, and it needs to end tonight.”

 

Cotton pointed to historic structures in Washington, D.C. damaged during the unrest and said rioting, anarchy and looting had to end tonight.

“[T]he riots and the anarchy we’ve seen across the country have nothing to do with the death of George Floyd,” Cotton said. “In Washington, D.C., they set fire to a historic church attended by every president since James Madison. They defaced the Department of Veterans Affairs and the World War II memorial, which honor our veterans. They defaced the Lincoln Memorial, a temple in which we remember the great emancipator.”

“What the president can do is say that justice will be done in accordance with law for George Floyd,” he added. “And we will always respect the right of peaceful protest, as many of these cities saw in the daytime. But the rioting, the anarchy, and the looting ends tonight. If local law enforcement is overwhelmed, if local politicians will not do their most basic job to protect our citizens, let’s see how these anarchists respond when the 101st Airborne is on the other side of the street.”

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor