The militarization of Washington, D.C., just escalated. For the first time this week, National Guard troops patrolling the nation’s capital will be armed with firearms.
This comes after Republican governors from West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio announced they are sending in their Guardsmen — hundreds of troops plus equipment — at President Donald Trump’s request.
The White House says the mission is about making the city “safe and beautiful.”
Even though violent crime is at its lowest level in decades, residents are seeing checkpoints in their neighborhoods, military police on patrol and federal agents sharing streets with local law enforcement.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says the move is unjustified, and lawsuits from the District of Columbia have already forced Attorney General Pam Bondi to back down from seizing control of the Metropolitan Police Department.
With armed troops now in the mix, Washington looks less like a local safety operation and more like a federal takeover.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
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