DC suing federal government to have National Guard leave the city
DC goes to court to end National Guard deployment
The Trump administration and D.C. attorneys are going head-to-head in court as the District sues to have the National Guard removed from the city. FOX 5's Bob Barnard reports.
WASHINGTON - The Office of the Attorney General in D.C. is suing the federal government, saying that the deployment of the National Guard on the streets of D.C. is unlawful, and that it's causing irreparable harm in the city.
President Donald Trump said the city's lawsuit is a political stunt and said what the president is trying to do to reduce crime in the city and says that is actually working.
Big picture view:
The attorney general for D.C. wants the National Guard gone. He’s asked a federal judge to block the Trump administration from ordering the National Guard to stay on the streets of D.C. through next summer.
That's the latest plan, according to documents shared with the court.
The current deployment is supposed to end at the end of November, but military officials have told the out-of-state troops to prepare for winter.
The backstory:
The guardsmen and women have been deputized as special deputy U.S. Marshals. The D.C. OAG says federal law prohibits the military from being involved in civilian law enforcement and calls the National Guard presence in D.C. a threat to public safety.
"This is fundamentally an American from the very beginning of our country. We do not have military on the streets doing civilian policing and that's what is at stake in the nation's capital today and in our country today," Schwalb said.
The other side:
People with Free D.C. and other anti-Trump groups also say the National Guard needs to leave.
"This is not a solution that anyone thinks is a long-term permanent way to actually make D.C. or any community safer, and you know the fact that this president is sending in National Guard members to cities all over the country. I think it is a really good point that this is not this is not really into crime. It's not really about crime," said Alex Dodds.
"So the president had the right to call the National Guard, but they're just basically standing around doing nothing. Maybe doing occasional yard work for a cost of $500 a day per soldier and about $1 million a day, which is a total waste of our tax money," Nan Raphael said.
At the conclusion of Friday afternoon’s two-and-a-half hour hearing, federal judge Jia Cobb says she's taking the arguments under advisement.
It’s likely that there will be a ruling sometime next week.