The District of Columbia on Thursday challenged President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard in Washington, asking a federal court to intervene even as he plans to send troops to other cities in the name of driving down crime.
Brian Schwalb, the district’s elected attorney general, said in a lawsuit that the deployment, which now involves more than 1,000 troops including Guard units from seven other states, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement.
“No American jurisdiction should be involuntarily subjected to military occupation,” Schwalb wrote.
He warned it is D.C. today, but could be any city tomorrow. The lawsuit follows a California ruling earlier this week that also declared Trump’s use of troops in Los Angeles illegal.
Still, the White House insists the president has the authority to deploy the Guard to protect federal assets and stop violent crime.
At stake is not just crime policy, but whether Washington residents and their elected mayor have any say in who polices their streets.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
