The White House on Thursday responded to D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb's lawsuit countering the Trump administration's crime crackdown in Washington, D.C., stating that President Donald Trump is "well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard ... to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks."

"This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents and visitors — to undermine the President's highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

Schwalb in announcing the suit said armed soldiers should "not be policing American citizens on American soil."

"DC did not request or consent to the deployment of National Guard troops. Yet there are 2,300 National Guardsmen on our streets in military gear, carrying weapons, and driving armored vehicles," he said on X.

Trump in early August invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act (Emergency Control of Police) to federally assume control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.

The troops' deployment has been extended to December 2025.

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