'I'm just stuck': House Republican gets grilling on CNN over Trump move in LA

A Republican lawmaker found himself on the receiving end of a grilling courtesy of CNN's Kasie Hunt on Monday afternoon.

President Donald Trump on Monday activated U.S. Marines to deploy to Los Angeles in response to ongoing protests related to immigration enforcement and raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Trump reportedly activated as many as 700 Marines, according to CNN.

The Marines are being sent to support the National Guard and are mainly tasked with protecting federal property and federal personnel.

Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) joined "The Arena" with Hunt to discuss the new reporting.

"I've been a member of the National Guard and we have seen this happen time and time again. The president has the right to move a National Guard unit from what’s called Title 32 to Title 10 and federalize the force. You know, when COVID broke out, individual states stepped out because, candidly, we weren't getting the support we needed," he told Hunt.

But Hunt noted this is the first time a president has done so over the objection of a governor since the Civil Rights era.

In response, Nunn insisted they saw "proof in the pudding."

"The president moved when other folks weren’t. And as a result — a sanctuary city which wasn't holding these guys accountable —we had federal agents having rocks thrown through their windows while they were driving. We had cars being lit aflame in the street. We had communities asking for help. We had a commissioner from the LAPD actually come out and say, “Hey, it's not what our elected officials here are telling us. This is now becoming a dangerous situation on the ground.”

When Hunt asked his thoughts on whether this was an appropriate use of the Marines, Nunn insisted he believes in not using military forces against American citizens, but said he fears riots will break out.

But Hunt pressed him on the topic.

"When we have seen riots before in this country — and certainly Los Angeles has dealt with this in the past — the National Guard has been able to handle it. What’s different now?" she asked.

When Nunn tried to point to 1992 riots in which the National Guard was deployed to Los Angeles and accused the city's officials of refusing to stand with federal law enforcement, Hunt pressed him again.

"Why is the National Guard not good enough, I guess. Why do we need the Marines?" she asked.

"I think that active-duty military is really the question here. It doesn't matter whether it’s the Marines, the Army, the Air Force. The fact of the matter is, we want to be able to back up the folks on the ground who are right now receiving rocks, fire, hit, bleeding in the street.

"There’s no reason that we should be at a situation where we've had this kind of tumult, and the LAPD is saying—" he continued, as Hunt interjected again.

"I'm just stuck on the National Guard not being enough to handle it. Like, why? Why — for all the things we’ve seen in our country —" she began, as Nunn interjected.

"Casey, I would say the most deployable force is right there, right? I mean, you've got Camp Pendleton right there. We're talking about proximity and the ability to refill. So I think that this is an absolutely appropriate use. I think you'll find that legally it's on that side. And if Congress needs to step in and grant this to the president, we should be able to protect these communities," said Nunn.

Watch the clip below or at this link.