Jonathan Turley blasts Democrats for ‘endorsing most extreme possible actions’

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley criticized the Democratic Party on Fox News Friday for what he said is a dangerous turn towards extremism.

Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley initiated an investigation into a California-based Democratic Party organization, alleging potential financial support for violent protests during the recent Los Angeles riots. During an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle,” Turley said that the party’s actions are driven by unchecked rage, which he said fuels extreme decisions and actions.

“It’s as if they’ve become a party of Jacobins, that they are endorsing the most extreme possible actions. I just wrote a book on the age of rage, and this is what rage does,” Turley told host Laura Ingraham. “It gives you a license to do things and say things you would not ordinarily do or say.”

Turley also pointed out the addictive nature of rage.

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“And what these people won’t admit, what they won’t admit tomorrow, is that they like it and that they need it and that it’s contagious and it’s addictive. That’s what rage is,” Turley added.

Turley also discussed legal proceedings involving political figures.

A federal judge ordered President Donald Trump on Thursday to return control of the California National Guard to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Judge Charles B. Breyer, a Clinton appointee, temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard members in Los Angeles, delaying the order’s enforcement until Friday at noon.

Turley criticized the judicial opinion, saying it could reach the Supreme Court where the Court has traditionally granted presidents significant deference in military force deployment decisions since the Madison administration.

“You’re supposed to be speaking to the law. You’re supposed to be speaking to the citizens as to what the law demands. Not how you view presidents or figures or politics or parties. And that’s where I think that he did cross the line here in a very significant way. Now the Court of Appeals is going to have to look at this,” Turley said.

“It could very well go to the Supreme Court. Since James Madison, this has been an issue, and the Supreme Court said back in the Madison administration that a president is given great deference in deciding when to deploy these types of forces,” Turley said. “They generally do not second-guess, as this opinion did. So you can debate the lines of authority, but much of this opinion seems to me really extraneous to the legal questions.”

Earlier Friday, a federal appeals court blocked a lower court’s order requiring Trump to turn over control of the National Guard to California. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed Trump to retain the National Guard in Los Angeles, at least until Tuesday, when it scheduled a hearing to address the issue.

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