South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) revealed on Saturday that he authorized the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to help “restore law and order” in Washington, D.C., adding that they could be recalled in case of a disaster in the Palmetto State.
“I’ve authorized the deployment of 200 S.C. National Guardsmen to support President Trump in his mission to restore law and order to our nation’s capital. The federal government will pay for this deployment under Title 32,” McMaster said in a post on social media platform X.
“Our National Guard will work to assist President Trump’s mission, and should a hurricane or natural disaster threaten our state, they can and will be immediately recalled home to respond,” the governor added.
The order comes just hours after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) announced that between 300-400 National Guard troops from his state will be heading to the District as President Trump’s administration’s police takeover continues in the nation’s capital.
The president invoked a provision in the Home Rule Act earlier this week, spearheading the federal control of Washington’s police department and deploying 800 National Guard soldiers and federal officers to patrol the District’s streets to better curb crime.
The administration said this week that since the federal police takeover was put in place, hundreds have been arrested, and dozens of firearms have been confiscated.
The Justice Department (DOJ) named Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) head Terry Cole as the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) “emergency police commissioner,” sparking pushback from some D.C. residents and city council members. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the administration over the DOJ’s move to appoint Cole. After a federal judge expressed concerns about the move, the DOJ agreed to back away.
D.C. Mayor Bowser (D) has looked to calm the nerves of Washingtonians, as some residents have protested the deployment of the National Guard in recent days.
“It has been an unsettling and unprecedented week in our city. Over the course of a week, the surge in federal law enforcement across DC has created waves of anxiety. I was born one year before Home Rule became law, and while our autonomy has been challenged before, our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now,” Bowser said in an open letter on Friday.
