Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt broke with Texas and the Trump administration on the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Chicago, citing his belief in federalism and "states' rights," The New York Times reported Thursday.
Plus, he said, "Oklahomans would lose their mind if [Gov. JB] Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration."
About 200 Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois on Tuesday — with GOP Gov. Greg Abbott's approval — to assist federal immigration authorities as the Trump administration intensified its focus on the Midwestern state, despite sharp opposition from local residents and Democrat leaders who have denounced the move as unlawful.
"I was surprised that Gov. Abbott sent troops from Texas to Illinois," Stitt told the Times. "Abbott and I sued the Biden administration when the shoe was on the other foot and the Biden administration was trying to force us to vaccinate all of our soldiers and force masks across the country."
He added: "As a federalist believer, one governor against another governor, I don't think that's the right way to approach this."
Stitt fully supports President Donald Trump's efforts to restore "law and order" in Chicago and other blue cities but told the Times the president should have federalized troops in Illinois first. Trump "authorized" 300 troops from the Illinois National Guard to "protect federal officers and assets" in Chicago. However, authorization is not the same as federalization.
Stitt, who's also chair of the National Governors Association, is the first known Republican to publicly speak out against the interstate deployment of troops over another governor's objections, the Times reported.
Stitt told the Times he hasn't spoken to Abbott about the deployment but expects it to come up when they meet Saturday at the annual Red River Showdown college football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns during the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.
"I would send troops to the southern border on his request, anytime he wanted them, and I know he would do the same for me," Stitt said.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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