Trump lawyers cite Fetterman’s social media post on ‘anarchy’ in legal response to California
The Pennsylvania Democrat continued to criticize his party’s response to the protests on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s lawyers cited a post from Sen. John Fetterman in their legal response to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s motion to block the deployment of troops in Los Angeles.
Fetterman (D., Pa.) on Monday called protests against federal immigration enforcement “anarchy and true chaos.”
In his statement on X, Fetterman criticized his fellow Democrats for their response to the unrest in LA, saying that they lose “the moral high ground” when they do not “condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.”
Those comments were referenced by Trump’s lawyers when they responded to Newsom’s temporary restraining order request, which asked federal judge to intervene to limit troop deployment in Los Angeles after Trump’s administration mobilized the California National Guard and put 700 Marines on standby in the state.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon in the case filed against Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the Department of Defense, alleging that the federal takeover of the state’s National Guard violated the constitution and exceeded the Department of Defense’s authority.
Fetterman has continued to denounce the demonstrations and Democrats’ response online and in interviews.
In a post uploaded to X on Wednesday morning, Fetterman shared a list of do’s and don’ts for protesters to “WIN THE ARGUMENT.”
“DO NOT loot, set s— on fire, assault law enforcement,” he wrote. “DO protest peacefully, organize to win elections, call out destructive behavior like this.”
Prior to these recent posts, Fetterman repeatedly criticized protests against Israel. His stance and unapologetic tone has endeared him to some Republicans while also increasingly causing tension with many progressives who supported his 2022 Senate run.