ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Krishnamoorthi warns against troop deployment at 2026 polling booths
He said involving the military in elections could undermine public trust in US democracy
-
Malvika Choudhary - Wed, 22, Jul 2026
- 12:14 EDT
- 49
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi / IANS
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi warned against deploying military personnel to polling booths during the 2026 US elections at a House Intelligence Committee hearing on July 21.
At the hearing, "25 Years After 9/11: Confronting the Next Generation of Threats," Krishnamoorthi questioned retired U.S. Army lieutenant general H.R. McMaster after President Donald Trump recently declined to rule out deploying the National Guard or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to polling places during the 2026 elections.
Also Read: Indian-American Arvind Raman to lead US AI standards agency
Referring to McMaster's comments before the 2020 election, Krishnamoorthi asked whether it remained "irresponsible" to discuss a military role in the upcoming elections.
"Yes," McMaster replied. "I think it's really important to recognize that our founders, 250 years ago, were most concerned about the military becoming involved in politics."
He added that involving the military in election-related activities "threaten[s] to politicize the military" and said it is "extremely dangerous and damaging" to blur the line between the armed forces and partisan politics.
Following the exchange, Krishnamoorthi said Trump's willingness to discuss deploying the military to polling places "undermines one of the oldest and most important traditions of our democracy."
"The American people deserve elections decided by voters–not by intimidation. Our armed forces have earned the trust of the American people by remaining above partisan politics, and we should keep it that way," Krishnamoorthi said.
Krishnamoorthi also questioned witnesses about the Trump administration's decision to condition counterterrorism funding on election-related mandates, asking whether redirecting homeland security resources could leave the nation less prepared to address evolving threats.
He further raised concerns about the national security implications of artificial intelligence, including the use of AI-generated deepfakes and other synthetic media by foreign adversaries to manipulate public opinion, undermine confidence in democratic institutions and threaten US national security.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
Leave A Comment
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login