On the evening of Monday, June 1, President Trump said that he could use the Insurrection Act to enact military force during protests. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense Strategy and retired Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel, associate dean at WMU-Cooley Law School, says “It is plausible that the President could use the military to stop protests that turn violent.”
McDaniel, who joined the WMU-Cooley Law School full-time faculty as a professor in the Constitutional Law Department in 2010, and developed an LL.M. program in Homeland and National Security Law, teaches courses on the use of military force in the United States, including the Insurrection Act.
In addition to serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense, McDaniel also served under Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm as her Homeland Security Adviser in 2003 and served in that capacity until July 2009. At the same time, he also served as the Assistant Adjutant General for Homeland Security, Michigan National Guard. McDaniel recently led Michigan’s response to the Flint water crisis and often provides support to government agencies during times of disaster.
