Congressman Kim Presses Secretary Esper, General Milley on Russian Bounties,
Use of Military Against Civilian Protesters

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) pressed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley on the use of the National Guard in responding to recent protests, and the military’s response to reports of Russian-funding bounties placed on U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan.

“The intelligence and what we know about Russian efforts in Afghanistan writ large in targeting our personnel is deeply concerning to me,” said Congressman Kim before asking Secretary Esper and General Milley to explain the lack of action taken on the reported intelligence.

In asking about the use of National Guard in response to protests, Congressman Kim asked why military police personnel who are specifically trained to handle crowd control and law enforcement weren’t specifically deployed to Washington, DC to execute those missions.

The Congressman’s full remarks and questions to Secretary Esper and General Milley can be found here.

Congressman Kim is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he serves the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Readiness and as a Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Prior to serving in Congress, Congressman Kim served in Afghanistan as Strategic Advisor to Generals David Petraeus and John Allen. Kim went on to serve as Director of Iraq in Obama’s National Security Council where he coordinated the crisis response to countering the rise of ISIS.

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