by Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
The attorney general for the nation’s capital is suing President Donald Trump for deploying National Guard to clean up the crime in Washington, D.C.
The lawsuits says that Trump has “run roughshod over a fundamental tenet of American democracy — that the military should not be involved in domestic law enforcement.”
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, a Democrat, said that deploying the National Guard for law enforcement purposes was “unnecessary and unwanted,” and “dangerous and harmful” to district residents.
“No American city should have the U.S. military — particularly out-of-state military who are not accountable to the residents and untrained in local law enforcement—policing its streets,” Schwalb said. “It’s D.C. today but could be any other city tomorrow. We’ve filed this action to put an end to this illegal federal overreach.”
The White House slammed the lawsuit as a political attempt to undermine the president.
“President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C. to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Daily Signal in a statement. “This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt—at the detriment of D.C. residents and visitors—to undermine the president’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C.”
Last month, Trump invoked the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 to declare an emergency in the district, authorizing him to federalize Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department until Sept. 10.
This follows Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is also a Democrat, agreeing to partner with the Trump administration to fight crime in the nation’s capital.
Bowser issued an order saying that the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center will continue to manage the city’s response to the presidential declaration of emergency and the Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which Trump created by executive order in March.
Bowser has thanked the Trump administration for the surge of law enforcement to the city.
“We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what [the Metropolitan Police Department] has been able to do in this city,” she said in a Wednesday news conference.
The president has indicated that Memphis is among the cities considered for National Guard deployment to address rising crime. While Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has not announced any plans to send troops, Trump’s statements suggest the city is “early on the list” for potential action, echoing his broader initiatives in other high-crime urban areas like Chicago, New Orleans, and Baltimore.
Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) proposed sending National Guard forces to Nashville, citing concerns over organized crime and gang activity in the city. Ogles’ proposal aligns with Trump’s approach of deploying federal resources to support local law enforcement in cities struggling with violent crime, though such measures have sparked legal debate and drawn criticism from opponents who warn against militarizing domestic policing.
– – –
Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell is the White House Correspondent for The Daily Signal. Christina Botteri, Executive Editor at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network, contributed to this report.
