Looks like 45 is holding up to his threatening promise of sending feds to Chicago as he officially announced via his favorite “press conference” platform, Twitter.
Crime and killings in Chicago have reached such epidemic proportions that I am sending in Federal help. 1714 shootings in Chicago this year!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2017
The decision is the Trump administration’s solution to dealing with the city’s “crime and killings,” which, according to Trump, “have reached such epidemic proportions.”
Per the Chicago Sun Times, Trump commanded 20 additional federal agents plus the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to head to Chicago in an effort to combat gun crime this Thursday.
Not unlike many of his “crossing the presidential line” dictations, it’s questionable whether he even has the lawful authority to send in federal agents for crimes committed within a city council government.
The Los Angeles Times raised more eyebrows citing the Insurrection Act of 1807, which does allow the U.S. president to deploy troops anywhere in the country, but only under a specific scenario. UC Berkeley’s legal expert John Yoo told the L.A. Times, this command would only fall under the act “if the murders also violated some aspect of federal law, such as acts committed by drug cartels or terrorists.”
Hmmm. That's a case that doesn't seem to apply here. Yet another example of Trump on his "I DO WHAT I WANT" tirade and Congress turning the other cheek. I guess Trump is above the law, huh?
