President Donald Trump faced few obstacles when he decided to send the National Guard into Washington, D.C., because it's not a state.
As he looks to expand the effort to New York, Chicago and Baltimore, former military officials expect state officials to clash with the president, but say that ultimately Trump has pretty broad authority to do it anyway.
Retired Major Gen. Randy Manner, a former acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, told MSNBC that "it's absolutely legal" for the president to take control of National Guard troops and send them wherever he wants.
Manner asserted the end result will "intimidate" Americans in cities politically at odds with the president, rather than tackle crime.
"That's the thing that's very disturbing. A reasonable president has never done this, but we're not dealing with that," he said. "It doesn't make it right. It makes it legal."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, both Democrats, have harshly criticized Trump's threats to send troops to their cities, saying it's based on a manufactured crisis and is an overreach of presidential powers.
"This is the militarization of America, and it is an absolute seizing control of our country through our own military used against us," said Manner, who served in the Army and National Guard for 35 years.
If Trump follows through on the threat, the administration will likely face quick lawsuits from the states, especially if it attempts to send the National Guard to conduct law enforcement duties.
Read Laura Barrón-López's full analysis here.
