Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to direct U.S. troops to arrest protesters in Los Angeles, before her department promptly reversed course.

Early Tuesday, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin sent an email to The Intercept in which she disclosed that Noem called for a dramatic shift in protest response by bringing active-duty military personnel into law enforcement roles.

“As rioters have escalated their assaults on our DHS law enforcement and activists’ behavior on the streets has become increasingly dangerous, Secretary Noem requested Secretary Hegseth direct the military on the ground in Los Angeles to arrest rioters to help restore law and order,” McLaughlin told The Intercept by email.

DHS soon walked this back, asking The Intercept to disregard its earlier statement and stating that the “posture” of “troops has not changed.”

“Please disregard the previously sent statement, and instead use this one,” wrote an unnamed official. “THANK YOU!”

Over the past week, President Donald Trump ramped up deployments of federal troops — including Marines and members of the National Guard — to........

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