Duckworth slams 'disgusting' Trump threat to send federal law enforcement to Chicago: 'Don't even think about it'

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Tuesday excoriated President Trump’s threats to send the federal officers dispatched to Portland, Ore., to Chicago, calling the ultimatum “disgusting.”

“My answer to him is don’t even think about it,” Duckworth, a combat veteran who lost both legs in Iraq, said on CNN Tuesday. “This is disgusting, and it is the further politicization of our institutions, which should be nonpartisan. He did it with the military when he sent National Guard troops against peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square [in Washington, D.C.], and now he’s done it in Portland and he’s coming to Chicago. Don’t even think about it.”

The Illinois senator, a possible running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, said that if the president was seeking to take action against the uptick in violence several cities have seen in recent weeks, he should address congressional Democrats’ gun safety proposals, including stricter background checks and crackdowns on so-called straw purchases.

“You want to do something? Call [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell, have that vote, it would pass,” she said.

Asked whether she was concerned about Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) demand that the president not deploy forces to the city, Duckworth responded: “Of course I’m worried, but this is what this president does. He has overreached his authority.”

The forces Trump had threatened to deploy to Chicago and other cities, Duckworth continued, are “not even coming to work on gun violence,” saying she was particularly concerned about reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel would be among those deployed to Chicago.

“It is wrong, and I’m going to work very hard to stop him.”  

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