West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey
CHARLESTON – West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey has co-led a federal court amicus brief supporting the President’s deployment of National Guard troops to protect our nation’s capital.
The Attorney General for the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for D.C. asking it to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the National Guard.
The deployment included the West Virginia National Guard and guard members from several other states. In a press release, McCuskey’s office says “the nation’s capital has become markedly safer” and “even the District’s Democratic mayor acknowledged the sharp decline in crime and expressed her appreciation.”
“The President has the authority, and the duty, to protect our nation’s capital,” McCuskey said. “The lawlessness in Washington, D.C., the result of years of soft-on-crime policies, was putting our nation at risk and finally, we have a President willing to step up to secure it.
“We are so immensely proud of the work of our National Guard members who have answered the call to restore law and order to D.C. Their deployment is working. But instead of being part of the solution and on the side of safety, this lawsuit is pure misguided political resistance to President Trump.”
In the brief, McCuskey and the other AGs argue that Trump’s use of the National Guard does not infringe on D.C.’s sovereignty.
“His action accords with over two centuries of constitutional tradition that the federal government has responsibility for our capital,” the filing states. “America cannot succeed and thrive when the Seat of Government is not safe, and so protecting D.C. is one of President Trump’s most important duties under Article II.”
In addition to McCuskey, South Carolina AG Alan Wilson co-led the coalition of Republican AGs. Other states joining the brief are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
