Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy on Monday appeared on a conference call with House Armed Services Committee members regarding the National Guard's response to protests in Washington, D.C., last week, reports Breaking Defense.
President Donald Trump was heavily criticized for using force to drive protesters back from the White House.
Armed Services Chair Adam Smith, D-Wash., last week requested military leaders appear before the House panel on the use of military to respond to protests throughout the country.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley have refused to appear.
"Our military leaders are sworn to be accountable to the people of this country, and Congress is constitutionally responsible for oversight," Smith and the rest of the committee's Democrats said in a joint statement. "They must appear and testify on these crucial matters in order to meet that responsibility.
"Apparently, the Trump administration believes they have no obligation to explain their actions to Congress or respect our constitutional system of checks and balances," they added.
McCarthy on Sunday took responsibility for the deployments of Guard members.
"We came right up to the edge of bringing active troops here, and we didn't," McCarthy said.
McCarthy said he and D.C. National Guard Commanding General Maj. Gen. Walker, "drove all over the city, talking to soldiers and telling them to keep your cool, keep your cool and continue to keep the temperature down. People are angry and frustrated, as they should be, and we are working really hard with that."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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