West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said his state is proud to support Trump ‘in his effort to restore pride and beauty to [the] nation’s capital.’
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, all Republicans, pledged on Aug. 16 to send hundreds of National Guard troops from their states to assist with President Donald Trump’s law and order crackdown in Washington.
Morrisey announced on X that he had directed the deployment following a request from the Trump administration.
The directive was issued after Trump, on Aug. 11, exercised federal authority over the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and ordered 800 District of Columbia National Guard troops to be activated throughout the city “to rescue [the] nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse.”
Morrisey’s office said the West Virginia National Guard would provide equipment and specialized training for the mission, along with “approximately 300–400 skilled personnel.”
The West Virginia governor said his state “is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to [the] nation’s capital.”
Maj. Gen. Jim Seward, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, said the ongoing deployment in Washington “aligns with [the West Virginia National Guard’s] values of service and dedication to [its] communities.”
“We stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region and contribute to the collective effort of making our nation’s capital a clean and safe environment,” Seward said.
West Virginia is the first state to answer a call from the administration to bolster the Trump administration’s efforts in the nation’s capital.
While Trump initially ordered a deployment of 800 members of the D.C. National Guard, the president indicated that he is prepared to call upon “much more, if necessary.”
Just hours after Morrisey announced his state’s troop deployment, McMaster announced that 200 members of the South Carolina National Guard would join the mission in Washington.
“South Carolina is proud to stand with President Trump as he works to restore law and order to our nation’s capital and ensure safety for all who live, work, and visit there,” McMaster said.
McMaster indicated that he may pull his troops back from the Washington deployment should his state require their assistance with a disaster response. The National Hurricane Center designated the approaching Hurricane Erin a Category 5 storm on Aug. 16.
DeWine said his state will send about 150 Ohio National Guard military police to support the ongoing effort in the nation’s capital.
The incoming troops from the three states are set to join their counterparts from the D.C. National Guard, as well as about 3,000 members of the MPD.
In addition to ordering up the D.C. National Guard and exercising control over the local police, the Trump administration has also surged about 500 federal law enforcement personnel to the National Capital Region over the past week.
National Guard troops and military vehicles have already begun to appear near federal property throughout the city.
A federal law known as the Posse Comitatus Act limits the use of active duty armed forces and federalized National Guard for domestic law enforcement purposes. Some limited authorities, including the Insurrection Act, allow a president to commit federalized troops to domestic law enforcement purposes.
Speaking with reporters on Aug. 14, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said National Guard troops in the city will not be making arrests, but “may temporarily limit the movement of an individual who has entered restricted or secured area without permission.”
Wilson also said the National Guard troops retain the right to self-defense and will follow existing D.C. National Guard rules concerning the use of force.
For now, Wilson said the National Guard troops are not armed but that the Pentagon has “the right to adjust force posture as needed.”
Local Washington officials filed a lawsuit on Aug. 15, challenging Trump’s authority to take control of the city’s police department.
“By illegally declaring a takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb posted on X. “This is the gravest threat to Home Rule DC has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
Later on Aug. 15, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to amend its order or face a temporary restraining order.
The Trump administration agreed to retract a decision to name Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole as the MPD’s emergency federal commissioner and return most leadership authority to MPD Chief Pamela Smith. While Smith remains the MPD’s designated leader, she will still have to comply with policing requests from the Trump administration, including requests to cooperate with immigration enforcement efforts.
Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973, which Trump cited in his decision to assert control over the MPD, allows a president to federalize the department for up to 48 hours before he must notify Congress of any further plans to federally control the police department.
After the first 48 hours of federal control over the MPD, the president may extend federal control over the police department for up to 30 days. After this 30-day limit is reached, the Senate and House of Representatives must enact a joint resolution for the president to be able to extend federal control over the police department.
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