Attorney General Alan Wilson leads defense of President Trump’s deployment of National Guard to DC

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson today announced that his office is co-leading a 23-state coalition defending President Donald Trump’s authority to deploy the National Guard to restore law and order in Washington, D.C.

“South Carolina is proud to lead the charge on this issue,” Attorney General Wilson said. “From James Madison to Abraham Lincoln, presidents have defended our capital in times of crisis. President Trump is doing exactly what the Founders intended, protecting the seat of government when it’s under threat. The federal government has not only the right but the responsibility to keep our nation’s capital safe for the American people. When local officials fail, the president must act, and history and the Constitution back him up.”

The coalition’s amicus brief, filed in District of Columbia v. Trump, outlines the skyrocketing violent crime in Washington, D.C., including carjackings, robberies, and assaults against members of Congress, staffers, and embassy officials, and details how President Trump’s swift action has already made the city safer. In just weeks since the Guard’s deployment, violent crime in D.C. has dropped dramatically, and even the city’s mayor has acknowledged the improvement.

“America cannot succeed if its capital is unsafe,” Wilson said. “That’s why we’re leading this effort, because protecting D.C. protects all of us. I also want to thank Governor Henry McMaster for sending members of the South Carolina National Guard to D.C. to help.”

The multistate brief was co-led by West Virginia and joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

You can read the full brief here.