Pete King to Newsmax: Trump's National Guard Plan in DC a 'Lifesaver'

Former Rep. Pete King praised President Donald Trump’s use of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., during an interview Sunday on Newsmax, calling the deployment a lifesaver and suggesting it could serve as a model for other cities grappling with crime.

"Well, it's certainly working in Washington, D.C., and it's beyond me why Democrats would be opposed to this," the New York Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend." "D.C. for too long has been a center of crime and has gotten much worse in the last three or four years. So this, to me, is a lifesaver."

King, however, acknowledged that deploying troops in other cities could raise questions about effectiveness and legality.

"In New York, we have a 32,000-person police force, and the National Guard isn't really trained for the type of street crime that you might have there," he said. "Having said that, this is all certainly things worth looking at in other cities, like Chicago, for instance, where crime is definitely out of control."

Still, it all boils down to whether Trump can issue orders on policing for local jurisdictions, King said.

"That could end up being a legal question about whether things are out of control, whether or not there is room for federal jurisdiction, or whether or not the governor can block the use of the National Guard," he said. "But certainly it's working in Washington, which I think can be used as a model."

The Pentagon is preparing plans to send thousands of National Guard troops to Chicago to address crime, homelessness, and undocumented immigration, according to reports. The initiative could eventually extend to 19 states.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have sharply criticized the proposal, calling it unjustified, politically motivated, and a potential violation of legal guardrails such as the Posse Comitatus Act.

King also weighed in on the FBI's raid of former national security adviser John Bolton's home on Friday as part of an investigation into possible mishandling of classified material in connection with information used in his memoir.

The search, King said, raises concerns about targeting political opponents.

"I would assume it's whether or not he illegally took national security documents out of the White House, whether or not he kept them in his home," King said. "I've always had a good relationship with John Bolton. I know that he and the president had a big falling out, and if he did, something was wrong. That's one thing."

Still, King questioned whether the raid itself was justified.

"I'm skeptical about going after a political opponent. Listen, if you violate the law, you violate the law," he said. "John Bolton's given a lot of years of good service. I think it was wrong for him to write the book the way he did. To me, if you work for someone, you should keep a certain sense of loyalty. Whether or not that warrants a federal prosecution is another story."

King on Sunday also criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom's redistricting strategy, which could add several Democratic seats in Congress. He said the move underscores how gerrymandering distorts representation.

"Well, Gavin Newsom is projecting himself as a leader of the Democratic Party. He clearly wants to be the candidate for president next time around," King said. "You can twist up and gerrymander these districts almost any way you want to, in order to get the kind of representation you're trying to seek."

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