Trump orders National Guards to be withdrawn from DC [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard to begin withdrawing its forces from Washington DC starting Sunday amid ongoing protests over George Floyd’s death.
• Trump reportedly told his aides during last week’s meeting that he wanted to deploy over 10,000 National Guard members to Washington DC but some White House officials objected to the idea.
• Retired General James Mattis, Trump’s former secretary of defense, was among those who criticized the idea, saying that it is “divisive and unconstitutional.”

Amid the continuous protests calling for equality and social justice over George Floyd’s death, National Guards deployed in Washington DC have been ordered by President Donald Trump to leave the premises.

In his tweet on Sunday, Trump said: “I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, D.C., now that everything is under perfect control. They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!”

US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told the press that members of the National Guard would be retracting from Washington DC beginning 5pm on Sunday.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser requested help from some National Guard members in containing the protests resulted from George Floyd’s unjust arrest and killing. However, the president ordered thousands of heavily-armed soldiers and other federal officers to suppress the civil unrest.

“Those who threatened innocent life and property will be arrested, detained, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I want the organizers of this terror to be on notice that you will face severe criminal penalties and lengthy sentences in jail,” Trump said during a speech from the White House Rose Garden last week.

He also warned to invoke the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that would allow the president to deploy US armed forces into states for domestic law enforcement purposes should the governors and mayors won’t impose tighter measures to mitigate the protests.

Reuters reported that during a meeting last week, Trump reportedly told his aides that he wanted to deploy as many as 10,000 National Guard troops to DC. However, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and Attorney General William Barr, reportedly dismissed the decision.

Last week, the Pentagon told the National Guardsmen spread out in DC to refrain from using any firearms or ammunition. On Friday, Esper ordered the rest of the deployed on-duty troops to retract from Washington and go back to their home bases.

Retired General James Mattis, Trump’s former Secretary of Defense who left his post last year, criticized the president’s declaration about wielding military power, saying it’s unconstitutional and causing division.

Trump’s threat to exert military force against demonstrators has earned the ire of local and state officials, former military officials, and activists.

Source: AOL.com