Bellevue—Over the weekend, Washington’s current governor signed his name to an eccentric and highly politically partisan “statement” that tries to criticize President Donald Trump’s lawful actions to activate and deploy National Guard units to restore civil order in California.
President Trump is following federal law and longstanding tradition by properly ordering National Guard resources to respond to violent rioting and physical attacks on local law enforcement officers by anarchists, members of the ANTIFA organization and various left-wing insurrectionists threatening several communities in southern California.
The “statement” that the current Washington governor signed makes several bizarre assertions. It calls President Trump’s actions “an alarming abuse of power”—a claim that is objectively false. It also refers to “this chaos of federal interference and intimidation,” language which sounds more like outtakes from a psychotherapy session than a rational public policy argument.
The fact that the current Washington governor has added his name to such a strange “statement,” marred by hysterical rhetoric, raises questions about his judgment as Washington’s chief executive. And it explains, in part, why grassroots petitions demanding his recall from office have drawn widespread support in our state.
Finally, informed Washingtonians are asking rational state legislators whether House Bill 1321—which the current governor hastily signed into law a few weeks ago—would limit President Trump’s ability to mobilize National Guard units in response to similar riots or violent insurrection that might occur here in Washington. It would not. That legislation has little practical effect and no effect at all on the proper and lawful deployment of National Guard units. This is exactly what President Trump has done in response to the riots and violent insurrection which have been going on over the last few days in California.
Lawlessness breeds lawlessness. President Trump is acting lawfully to prevent the spread of lawlessness. The current Washington governor should show better discernment before adding his name to an eccentric “statement” that makes silly claims about a proper defense of civil order and the Rule of Law.
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