In response to Donald Trump’s MAGA House Speaker Mike Johnson’s dangerous rhetoric today, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Mike Johnson is following Donald Trump’s lead in a dangerous campaign of revenge and retribution, inciting violence by calling for a sitting governor to be ‘tarred and feathered’ for standing up to Trump. Trump is disrespecting the military by using them as political pawns to suppress who he sees as his political opponents — including thousands of ordinary Americans who are horrified by Trump’s inhumane immigration enforcement that stokes fear, rips families apart, and pulls U.S. citizens into his dragnet. Johnson’s comments today are dangerous and make clear that for Republicans, this has everything to do with inciting fear and violence — and nothing to do with law and order.” 

WATCH: Mike Johnson called for Governor Gavin Newsom to be “tarred and feathered” while Donald Trump endorses calls for Newsom’s arrest. 

Reporter: “[T]he president said … if he were Tom Homan, he would arrest Gavin Newsom. Do you believe that Newsom should face consequences in a legal way?” 

Mike Johnson: “Look, that’s not my lane. I’m not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested, but he, but he ought to be tarred and feathered.”

Trump bypassed the authority of a governor — the first time in about 60 years that a president has done so — and sent National Guard troops to suppress protests in California. 

Washington Post: “President Donald Trump’s order to deploy 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles appears unprecedented, relying on an unorthodox use of a law aimed at quelling serious domestic unrest or an attack on the United States by a foreign power, some legal experts said Sunday.

“It marks the first time in about 60 years that an American president has taken such action without a governor’s consent. Furthermore, his executive order authorizes the Pentagon to dispatch military personnel domestically to enable federal functions and protect government property — a chilling sign, the experts said, that Trump is prepared to send troops into other cities in response to protests.” 

Politico: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Donald Trump’s threats against him and other Democrats following the president’s unilateral deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area carried all the markings of authoritarianism. …

“Trump and his border czar have targeted Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass by name with threats of arrests — and other ominous unspecified acts to be carried out by the federal government if the two don’t fall in line. …

“California on Monday sued the Trump administration for authorizing the deployment against their will. The president and aides portrayed the move as just the start of potentially escalated action, including sending hundreds of U.S. Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton.”

REMINDER: Trump has suggested using the military to suppress political speech before. 

NPR: “Former Pentagon chief Esper says Trump asked about shooting protesters”

“Former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said President Donald Trump inquired about shooting protesters amid the unrest that took place after George Floyd’s murder in 2020. …

“Esper said he stayed in the administration because he worried that if he left, the president would more easily implement some of his ‘dangerous ideas.’ … 

“Esper said he and other top officials were caught off guard by Trump’s reaction to the unrest in the summer of 2020.”