California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said California will sue the Trump administration on Monday over its deployment of the National Guard to quell Los Angeles protests against federal immigration raids.
In an interview Sunday evening on MSNBC, Newsom said the lawsuit would challenge Trump’s federalizing of the California National Guard without the state’s consent, a move with little precedent in U.S. history.
“Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight. He’s exacerbated the conditions. He’s, you know, lit the proverbial match. He’s putting fuel on this fire, ever since he announced he was taking over the National Guard — an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act,” Newsom said on MSNBC.
“And we’re going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow,” he added..
Asked to elaborate on the lawsuit, Newsom said that under Trump’s executive order, “it specifically notes — and under what the [Department of Defense] did — is they had to coordinate with the governor of the state. They never coordinated with the governor of the state,” he said.
Newsom noted that he has deployed the National Guard before to respond to various emergencies.
“We have no problem, working collaboratively in a mutual aid system with local law enforcement. But there’s a protocol, there’s a process. He didn’t care about that. And the worst part, he completely lied,” he said.
The governor pointed to Trump’s Truth Social post earlier on Sunday, in which he said the National Guard had done a “great job.” Newsom said the state forces had not even been deployed at the time.
“It’s Orwellian, simply lying to people, unconstitutional, illegal act, his mess. We’re trying to clean it up,” he added.
Later in the interview, Newsom was asked about border czar Tom Homan’s comments indicating he would not rule out arresting Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass if they interfered in his efforts.
“Come after me, arrest me. Let’s just get it over with, tough guy, you know? I don’t give a damn. But I care about my community. I care about this community,” he continued.
“The hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up. They need to stop and we need to push back. And I’m sorry to be so clear, but that kind of bloviating is exhausting.” Newsom added. “So, Tom, arrest me. Let’s go.”