Trump Deploys National Guard to Memphis, U.S. Military Lawyer Weighs in on Legality

President Trump announced he will deploy the National Guard to Memphis, calling the city “deeply troubled.” Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, a Democrat, urged the administration not to send troops and said he may pursue legal action. “We will do everything in our power to prevent this incursion into Tennessee and to protect the rights, safety, and dignity of every resident,” Harris declared.

Crime has been rampant in U.S. cities, especially under Democrat leadership in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston, and New York. Officials in these cities have been accused of manipulating statistics to suggest crime is at historic lows, downgrading offenses, releasing illegal immigrants without bail, and only counting convictions, even though many offenders never returned for trial.

Harris has made similar claims, insisting crime in Memphis is at a multiyear low, though the city remains among the most dangerous in the country. Across large and mid-sized cities, crime is rising, yet Democrat leaders refuse to address it. In response, Trump has deployed the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles, federalized the police in Washington D.C., and pledged to act in other cities.

John Deaton, a U.S. Marine veteran, trial attorney, and author, explained in an interview with The Gateway Pundit the legality of such actions. “In D.C., where President Trump authorized the National Guard, it’s been federalized. Federal law governs D.C., and the commander in chief has that authority pretty much carte blanche for 30 days. After that, Congress must authorize it, unless the president declares an emergency.”

Outside Washington, the rules are different. Deaton noted that when Trump sent Marines to California, they had a limited mission: protecting federal officers, ICE agents, and federal property. “That was completely appropriate because there was a threat,” he said.

He also pointed to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits active-duty troops from day-to-day law enforcement. Soldiers cannot arrest suspects, investigate crimes, or act as police officers. Their role is confined to crowd control and guarding facilities and personnel.

“There are exceptions,” Deaton added. “If there is an invasion of a certain type, President Trump, for example, cited MS-13 flooding into certain cities, that constitutes an invasion, and he can use those mechanisms.”

President Trump has declared emergencies and deployed military forces at the U.S. southern border and in several cities, including Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Memphis.

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DC Grand Jury Declines to Indict DC Lawyer and West Point Grad Charged with Assaulting and Threatening to Kill National Guardsmen

A DC grand jury has once again declined to indict an individual charged with a serious crime against federal agents.

On Tuesday it was reported that a DC grand jury declined to indict a DC attorney and West Point grad charged with assaulting and threatening to kill National Guardsmen last month.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro charged Paul Bryant for physically assaulting a National Guardsman patrolling the streets of DC on Trump’s orders.

Bryant threatened the guardsmen and said, “I’ll kill you.”

“The charges against Bryant are the most serious yet to be rejected by a grand jury. One count against him under a D.C. Code statute for threats to injure another person carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Another count for threatening a federal official carries a maximum of 10 years,” WUSA9 reported.

WUSA9 reported:

A federal grand jury has declined to indict a D.C. lawyer accused of assaulting and threatening members of the National Guard, WUSA9 has learned.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office informed a magistrate judge Tuesday that grand jurors had returned a no true bill for Paul Anthony Bryant, according to two people familiar with the matter. The rejection is at least the eighth time in the last month a grand jury has declined to charge felonies sought by Pirro’s office.

Bryant was arrested roughly an hour-and-a-half after an alleged Aug. 24 incident involving members of the National Guard who were patrolling on 14th Street Northwest as part of President Donald Trump’s federal surge in D.C. In an affidavit filed in federal court, investigators accused Bryant of approaching the Guardsmen while yelling things, including “These are our streets!” and, allegedly, “I’ll kill you.” Before leaving the area, according to the affidavit, Bryant “threw his left shoulder” into one of the Guardsmen’s shoulders.

Bryant, a graduate of West Point and Columbia Law School, told a judge the charges were “baseless” and derided prosecutors for filing a case predicated on hearsay. Because members of the National Guard patrolling D.C. do not wear body cameras, Bryant’s attorney said there is no video of the alleged incident.

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JB Pritzker Says He Has Moles in Trump Administration and Military Feeding him Information on Trump’s Law Enforcement Operations – Claims DHS Plans to “Invade” Chicago Neighborhoods

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker told former White House Press Secretary and MSNBC host Jen Psaki that he is being tipped off on Trump’s plans to send troops and federal agents to Chicago by people in the Trump Administration and the military “who have let us know things without, you know, having permission to do so.”

“I would call some of that rumor, but, you know, well sourced rumors,” he said.

This comes as President Trump plans federal law enforcement operations and potential National Guard deployment in the Windy City after at least 14 were killed and nearly 100 injured in shootings over the last two weekends.

It was revealed last week that 200 Homeland Security Officials will be deployed in Chicago as soon as this week and will potentially stay for the entire month of September.

The enforcement operations will be centered on arresting illegal aliens in the sanctuary state of Illinois, but the National Guard could be used to quell violent rioters, as done in Los Angeles, or to deter crime, as we are seeing in Washington, DC.

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Chicago’s Far-Left Mayor Brandon Johnson Signs ‘Protective Order’ to Try and Block Trump’s National Guard Deployment, Vows to ‘Take Any Action Necessary’

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Saturday, titled the “Protecting Chicago Initiative,” aimed at preventing the potential deployment of the National Guard by President Donald Trump to address the city’s rampant crime issues.

Johnson, a far-left Democrat, claims the order is necessary to defend residents’ constitutional rights amid fears of what he calls an “unconstitutional and illegal military occupation.”

The executive order comes as the Trump administration considers using Naval Station Great Lakes, a Navy base near Chicago, as a staging ground for immigration enforcement operations involving more than 200 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents.

Trump has been vocal about addressing Chicago’s crime woes, recently stating after deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., that his team would “straighten out” Chicago next, calling it “a mess” under an “incompetent mayor.”

“The City of Chicago will do everything in our power to defend our democracy and protect our communities. With this executive order, we send a resounding message to the federal government: we do not need nor want an unconstitutional and illegal military occupation of our city,” Johnson said in a statement.

“We do not want military checkpoints or armored vehicles on our streets and we do not want to see families ripped apart. We will take any action necessary to protect the rights of all Chicagoans,” the mayor continued. “Protecting Chicago is the next step in the work we have been doing to defend our city from federal overreach and illegal action.”

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Gavin Newsom declares war on the Marines

Term limited California Governor Gavin Newsom is running for the Democrat Party nomination for President in 2028. He’s not certain against whom he’ll be running, so he’s running against America. He’s been governing against California for years, so why not extend that kind of governance to the whole country?

California Governor Gavin Newsom attacked the U.S. Marines and National Guard on Saturday as “bringing war to the American people” in trashing their recent mission to restore order to the streets of Los Angeles.

His purpose: to attack President Donald Trump, who is campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize by trying to resolve conflicts around the world.

In his first seven months in office, Trump has ended at least six wars and for the first time it appears possible he’ll end the war between Ukraine and Russia, a conflict that has cost Russia untold billions and a million of its young men wounded, captured or killed. That’s quite the campaign. Even should that effort fail, it’s impossible to identify a more deserving recipient of the Peace Prize in this or the last century.

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National Guard Mobilizing In 19 States Amid Immigration, Crime Crackdown

Up to 1,700 National Guardsmen are set to mobilize in 19 states in the coming weeks to assist the Department of Homeland Security with President Trump’s nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration and crime, Pentagon officials confirmed to FOX News. 

Documents obtained by FOX News show planning for activations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming – with status effective from August through mid-November. Texas is projected to host the most significant Guard presence.

The White House is emphasizing that the activations were planned prior to President Trump’s comments within the last 48 hours about replicating law enforcement efforts seen in Washington, D.C., in other parts of the country. 

“This isn’t new nor is it tied to the President’s efforts to address violent crime in DC.,” a White House official said. “DoD announced last month that National Guard troops would assist DHS with clerical support and other logistical tasks for processing illegal aliens at ICE facilities. It is separate from the federal interagency crime crackdown.”

The National Guard soldiers being mobilized will effectively serve as a support pillar to a sweeping federal interagency effort, while also serving as a visible deterrent force, a U.S. Defense official said. The service members supporting ICE will be preforming case management, transportation, logistical support, and clerical functions associated with the processing of illegal migrants at the facilities. “The in-and-out processing may include personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing and photographing of personnel in ICE custody,” the official said. 

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DC lawmakers try to reclaim control of MPD, National Guard after Trump invokes Home Rule

D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen announced plans to reintroduce legislation granting the District of Columbia full control over its National Guard and Metropolitan Police Department.

This move comes in response to President Donald Trump’s recent decision to assume control of D.C.’s police department and deploy the National Guard without consulting local officials.

The proposed District of Columbia Police Home Rule Act would repeal the president’s authority to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department, while the District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act would designate the D.C. mayor as Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard, aligning with the powers held by state governors.

“President Trump’s unprecedented federalization of the D.C. Police today and his activation of the D.C. National Guard without D.C.’s consent underscore the necessity of D.C. statehood,” said Congresswoman Norton.

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Federal Judge In California Remains At The Ready To Wrest Control Of National Guard From Trump

“The fight doesn’t end here.” Gavin Newsom made that announcement on Thursday, soon after a federal appellate court ruled President Donald Trump retains control over the California National Guard. By Friday morning, the overturned district court judge repeated the mantra, but in subtler, more judicious terms designed to obscure his bias and his intent to halt the president’s use of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles. The apparent plan is now to find the president’s deployment violates the Posse Comitatus Act, which goes to show that judges bent on executing a coup by courts also have six ways to Sunday to rebel against the duly elected president.

After rioters attacked ICE agents and federal property in California, on June 7, 2025, President Trump federalized the California National Guard. Once under federal command, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered thousands of National Guard troops to deploy to Los Angeles. Secretary Hegseth later also deployed some 700 active-duty U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton to Los Angeles.

Within days of the president’s federalizing of the California National Guard, Governor Newsom filed a multi-count complaint in a San Francisco federal court. Then, at 11:00 a.m., on June 10, 2025, the governor asked the court to immediately (by 1:00 p.m.) grant him an ex parte temporary restraining order, barring the deployment of troops in Los Angeles and directing the president to return control of the National Guard to the governor. Presiding Judge Charlies Breyer instead provided the Trump administration 24 hours to respond to the motion and set a hearing for June 12, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.

Judge Breyer opened the June 12, 2025 hearing by noting he had refused to grant the requested injunction on an ex parte basis, with the Clinton appointee stressing the importance of hearing from both sides before ruling. However, Judge Breyer soon made clear his fist was firmly on Governor Newsom’s side of the scale, with the federal judge appropriating the language of the left and declaring we have no king in America.

It came as no surprise, then, to court listeners that by day’s end Judge Breyer had entered an injunction against President Trump, enjoining him “from deploying members of the California National Guard in Los Angeles,” and directing the Commander-in-Chief “to return control of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom.” The court stayed his order until noon on Friday, June 13, 2025.

The Trump administration immediately sought a stay of Judge Breyer’s injunction in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals — the federal circuit court that hears appeals from district courts in California, among other western states. Within hours, a three-judge panel of the federal appellate court entered an administrative stay of Judge Breyer’s order, keeping the president in charge of the National Guard. The Ninth Circuit then set an expedited briefing schedule and scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

Last Tuesday, Trump appointees Judges Mark Bennette and Eric Miller, joined by Biden-appointee Judge Jennifer Sung, heard the parties’ argument concerning the propriety of the injunction. Two days later, in a unanimous opinion, the court held the Trump administration “made the required strong showing that they are likely to succeed on the merits of their appeal,” and stayed the lower court’s injunction against the president. That stay left the California National Guard under federal control and deployed in Los Angeles, as directed by Secretary Hegseth.

In concluding that Trump was likely to succeed on the merits of his appeal, the Ninth Circuit focused on Newsom’s claim that the president lacked authority under 10 U.S.C. § 12406 to federalize the California National Guard. That federal statute authorizes the president to federalize the National Guard of a state whenever, among other things, “the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States . . . ”

While Judge Breyer concluded that Trump had failed to establish that he was unable with regular forces to execute the laws of the United States, the Ninth Circuit rejected the lower court’s reasoning in two respects. First, the three-judge panel concluded that courts owe great deference to the president’s conclusion that regular forces are unable to execute federal law.

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Oregon lawmakers advance bill to limit federal use of National Guard

Oregon lawmakers are moving to restrict the federal government’s authority over the state’s National Guard despite a surge of violent anti-ICE protests, particularly in Portland.

Three Democratic state representatives introduced legislation that would block any deployment of the Oregon National Guard that would hinder its ability to respond to state emergencies such as wildfires. The bill also outlines the specific duties the Guard can and cannot be assigned. The proposal comes in response to President Donald Trump’s move to federalize the National Guard in California to help protect law enforcement amid anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.

“Deploying the military against our country’s citizens is an affront to our democratic principles,” said Representative Dacia Grayber, one of the sponsors of the bill, in a statement. “Ensuring that the Guard can only be mobilized in keeping with their congressionally-authorized functions is a common-sense safeguard to ensure separation of responsibility between our military and our local law enforcement.”

The bill passed the House Rules Committee on Tuesday, though Republican House Leader Christine Drazan voted against it, saying she wanted to consult with the caucus, according to KATU. The bill now heads to the full House to be voted on.

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Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen Activates National Guard Ahead of Anti-ICE Protests at College World Series

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has taken decisive action ahead of anticipated far-left protests targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this weekend — including potential disruptions at the College World Series in Omaha.

Governor Pillen announced on X Friday that he has issued an emergency proclamation and authorized the deployment of the Nebraska National Guard and State Patrol if necessary to combat any civil unrest spurred by the anti-ICE agitators.

The protests, driven by far-left activist groups and open borders extremists, have reportedly been planned to coincide with the College World Series in Omaha — one of the most celebrated events in collegiate sports.

“With thousands of families, students, and tourists expected to attend, the governor emphasized his top priority: protecting life, property, and public safety.

As a precaution in anticipation of anti-ICE protests across Nebraska this weekend, including at the College World Series, I have issued an emergency proclamation and the appropriate orders to activate Nebraska National Guard and State Patrol personnel if necessary to address any civil disturbance.

Free speech will be respected and protected in Nebraska, but the lawlessness, chaos, and rioting seen in other cities in past weeks will not be tolerated here. I have taken the necessary steps to ensure we have the state resources necessary to promptly respond to disorder. Any person who poses a threat to life, health, or property will be arrested. Nebraskans across the state, as well as the thousands of visitors to Omaha for the College World Series, can rest assured that the State of Nebraska and our local partners have taken the appropriate steps to ensure security and order.

My team and I will remain in continuous contact with National Guard, State Patrol, and @NEMAtweets leaders in the coming days as we monitor developments and respond accordingly.”

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