Hagerty calls on president to invoke Insurrection Act, mobilze active-duty miltary
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty speaks at Nashville event on Dec. 3, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty is calling on President Donald Trump invoke the Insurrection Act to mobilize active-duty military forces in response to protests around the country.
“We cannot have another night of violence. It has to stop now,” the former U.S. ambassador to Japan said a release. “If we don’t, it propagates lawlessness.”
Trump has been mulling the use of the 213-year-old federal law, which would allow him to send troops to states without a formal request by their governors.
Here’s the release from the Hagerty campaign.
Nashville, TN — With the recent riots around the country, including Tennessee, Bill Hagerty, candidate for U.S. Senate, encourages President Trump to use the Insurrection Act to mobilize active-duty military forces in order to defend our communities from further acts of domestic terrorism.
“President Trump has already taken decisive leadership in recognizing ANTIFA as a terrorist organization,” said Bill Hagerty. “America is rooted in the rule of law. We cannot have another night of violence. It has to stop now. Period. If we don’t, it propagates lawlessness. To better protect our cities and communities from further danger, President Trump should use the Insurrection Act to its fullest extent. Mobilizing our military forces across the country will show that we will not tolerate domestic terrorism.”
Lee announces Tennessee will keep accepting resettled refugees
Gov. Bill Lee speaks at a groundbreaking event in Nashville on Dec. 13, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
First-year Gov. Bill Lee says he won’t seek to opt-out of the federal government’s refugee resettlement program in Tennessee. President Trump in September issued an executive order giving state and local governments control over whether to continue to allow refugees to be resettled in their areas.
“The United States and Tennessee have always been, since the very founding of our nation, a shining beacon of freedom and opportunity for the persecuted and oppressed, particularly those suffering religious persecution,” Lee said in a release. “My administration has worked extensively to determine the best outcome for Tennessee, and I will consent to working with President Trump and his administration to responsibly resettle refugees.”
Senate Speaker Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) issued a joint statement to say their preference would have been for Lee to reject further resettlement:
“Both our nation and the state of Tennessee have been extremely welcoming to immigrants throughout modern history. In 2016, the General Assembly adopted a resolution expressing the desire of our citizens to file a federal lawsuit to halt refugee resettlement in Tennessee. Our opinion has not changed on this issue since legal action was taken, and our personal preference would have been to exercise the option to hit the pause button on accepting additional refugees in our state. However, the federal order makes this the sole decision of the Governor, and he has made his call.”
Vandy baseball team declines White House visit
The Vanderbilt baseball team declined a White House visit to celebrate its 2019 NCAA championship, The Washington Post reports.
A spokesman told the paper the invitation was “respectfully declined [because of] long-standing travel plans for our student-athletes to return home for the Thanksgiving holiday.”
Last year’s winner, Oregon State, visited President Donald Trump in the White House instead.
The White House event was to celebrate 22 champions from non-revenue sports. NCAA football and basketball champions have visited on their own.
