Photo: Yuri Gripas – Pool via CNP / The Mega Agency
California state authorities have filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump, accusing him of illegally deploying 2,000 National Guard troops without the state’s consent. The lawsuit was filed due to an attempt to interfere with the governor’s jurisdiction and use of law enforcement agencies for political purposes, The Washington Post reports, citing a statement by Attorney General Rob Bonta.
“The president is trying to create chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political purposes,” Bonta said.
The lawsuit claims that Trump exceeded his authority by invoking a law that allows the president to use the National Guard only in cases of threatened foreign invasion or domestic insurrection. The California government emphasises that no such conditions existed.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom did not approve of the use of force, and Trump himself, according to the plaintiffs, undermined the powers of the state’s commander-in-chief, violating the principles of federalism.
