District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit Thursday against President Donald Trump and his administration, challenging the ongoing deployment of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital.
Schwalb described the action as an unlawful “military occupation” that has transformed federal troops into local police officers, undermining civilian authority.
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The lawsuit is the second Schwalb has filed since Trump declared a “crime emergency” in Washington on August 11, giving himself control over the city’s police force while dispatching military personnel onto city streets.
Unlike governors, who command their states’ National Guard units, the DC mayor has no such authority, leaving the president as commander in chief. But Schwalb argues Trump has exceeded that power by using the Guard for direct law enforcement purposes, in violation of the law.
The attorney general is seeking a court order to withdraw the troops from Washington and block any similar federal actions in the future.
