Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee pressed a top military nominee Thursday on whether he supports the Trump administration’s controversial use of the military in U.S. cities to fight crime and conduct immigration enforcement.

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Christopher Mahoney, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, vowed to follow the Constitution.

“General, I am concerned about the state of the joint force you will help lead if confirmed,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., ranking member of the panel. “The administration has taken unprecedented steps to politicize the military, in my view.”

In recent months, the Trump administration has deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. as part of a broader push against crime

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