White House calls judge who blocked National Guard to Portland as ‘untethered in reality’, denies Trump plans to take over cities with military | World News

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said the judge who blocked the Trump adminration’s attempt to deploy members of the California National Guard to Portland, Oregon, was “untethered in reality.”“With all due respect to that judge, I think her opinion is untethered in reality and in the law,” Leavitt said. “The president is using his authority as commander in chief.”

US Drict Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed Trump during his first term, blocked the deployment of National Guard to Portland, saying the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces, and allowing the deployment could harm Oregon’s state sovereignty.

Army veteran and Portland City Council member Mitch Green stands with protesters outside a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

‘Trump not taking over cities using National Guard’

Leavitt also said Trump “wants to help these local leaders who have been completely ineffective in securing their own cities.”

During the press briefing on Monday, Leavitt also denied allegations that Trump was attempting to take over Democrat-led cities with the military or National Guard.

“You guys are framing this like the president wants to take over the American cities with the military,” Leavitt said.

Citing the example of Washington DC, Leavitt argued that the deployment of the National Guard has hleped in figthing crime.

“The murder rate has declined significantly,” Leavitt said. “Our streets are safer. People who live here feel safer… It’s a proven system that works, and the president wants to make America’s cities safe again,” she said.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks at a press briefing in the White House. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Illinois, Chicago challenge National Guard deployment

On Monday, Illinois and Chicago also filed a similar lawsuit to stop President Donald Trump’s adminration from sending hundreds of National Guard troops to the city.

“The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation the United States military, particularly for the reason that their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said late on Sunday night that Trump was “ordering 400 members of the Texas National Guard for deployments to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations within the United States”.

In a statement, the governor called the proposed deployment “Trump’s invasion“, and said there was “no reason” to send troops into any state without the “knowledge, consent, or co-operation” of local officials.

Members of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard, patrol the subway system in Penn Station as police officers check commuters’ bags in New York. (AP Photo/ File)

Trump’s National Guard deployment

Critics have accused the Trump adminration of using the National Guard to take over Democrat-ruled cities on the pretext of fighting crime.

Trump first deployed the federalised California National Guard to address protests in Los Angeles in June this year, followed Washington DC. Trump has also threatened to send the National Guard to other Democrat-ruled cities, including Chicago, Portland, Baltimore and New York, to fight crime there.