President Donald Trump over the weekend made the most direct statements yet about his plans to send National Guard troops to San Francisco.
Meanwhile, a new appellate court ruling about the president’s plans to send troops to Portland may help clear the way for San Francisco to be next.
Trump over the weekend repeatedly said he plans on sending the National Guard to San Francisco and voiced his frustration with legal efforts so far to prevent him from using the National Guard at all.
The president has also said he can use the Insurrection Act to make it happen.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins last week warned invoking the Insurrection Act would be a dangerous abuse of power.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he may use the Insurrection Act to bypass court orders limiting the federal deployment of troops into American cities. “[The Insurrection Act is] the strongest power a president has and you have the absolute right to do it.”
In a statement Monday, City Attorney David Chiu joined a growing chorus of local leaders in saying San Francisco is the safest it has been in decades.
“This is an administration that doesn’t care about statistics or facts,” San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan said. “They’re going to say whatever it is they’re going to say. But San Francisco is ready to protect it’s residents and everybody who visits.”
California Congressman Jimmy Panetta said using the National Guard is all part of the president’s political playbook.
“I believe that this president is using the troops, sending them into cities for retribution, for provocation and as a distraction,” Panetta said.