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Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said she was skeptical about the federal rollout National Guard in cities across the country is legal because of President Trump’s decision to send troops to respond to crimes.
In a speech Wednesday at the Fortune Most Power Women conference in Washington, the mayor was asked whether she supported using the National Guard to fight crime.
“I don’t believe it’s legal for the National Guard to monitor Americans on American soil,” Bowser said.
The mayor further explained that the National Guard in D.C. is under the authority of the president, while a state’s National Guard is typically controlled by the governor.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was skeptical about whether the federal deployment of the National Guard in cities across the country was legal. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The mission and the way we use the National Guard – unlike most states where a governor can call up the head of his or her National Guard – our DC National Guard in DC reports to the president,” Bowser said.
“Although I can request the National Guard, they are completely federally managed. And so for the DC National Guard, DC is a little different than anywhere else,” she continued.
The mayor added: “We use the Watch to respond to emergencies. We use the Watch for large events. We do not use the Watch or to police our local laws.”
In recent months, Trump has increased the presence of federal law enforcement Washington, D.C., in an attempt to curb crime. Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been sent to the streets of D.C. as part of the federal takeover of the District.
Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been sent to the streets of D.C. as part of the federal takeover of the District. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
Trump has also sent troops to several other Democratic-run cities, including Chicago. The city and its native Illinois sued the federal government over the operation.
A federal appeals court returned partial control of the National Guard in Illinois to the federal government but blocked Trump from sending troops there Streets of Chicago or across Illinois.
Trump also sent the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer to respond to anti-ICE protests sparked by federal immigration raids on migrant workers at local businesses. California officials filed a lawsuit over the federal operation.
‘You’re embarrassing us’: National Guard presence in Washington sparks fiery clash in capital
President Donald Trump has sent troops to several Democratic-led cities, including Chicago. (AP/Laura Bargfeld)
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Bowser said in her remarks Wednesday that Americans in Washington and across the country should be concerned about what the stakes mean for the country’s democracy.
“We should all be concerned about the use of the military because that is a delicate path,” she said.
“You use it for crowd control one day or presence the next day — it’s not a big leap to use it in other ways that could interfere with the nature of American democracy,” Bowser said.
