Sam Liccardo wants accountability for National Guard use

“The SUN Act essentially calls for sunshine on this dark corner of decision making at the White House,” Liccardo said. “Taxpayers deserve to know — what’s the cost, what’s the purpose, and is this working.” 

President Trump has ordered the National Guard into several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, Memphis and, most recently, Chicago, citing the need for a crackdown on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. 

He’s moved forward with the unprecedented expansion of federal power despite the opposition of state leadership — who say the deployments are both unnecessary and illegal — and a recent ruling from a federal judge that the California deployment broke federal law. That ruling is currently under appeal. 

Liccardo also cited the ruling — which found Trump violated the Posse Comitatus Act, prohibiting the use of federal military force for domestic law enforcement. Because the Republican-majority Congress hasn’t moved to defend that law against Trump’s incursions, Liccardo said he’s doubtful that the SUN Act will gain bipartisan traction unless a more dire situation unfolds. 

“Sadly, it will take a tragic event before any Republican on the other side of the aisle is likely to defend their spine enough to join us in demanding accountability,” he said. 

Liccardo said he’s concerned that National Guard deployment could result in a tragic event like the one that occurred at Kent State in 1970, where National Guard members deployed on the college campus shot four students and wounded nine others protesting the Vietnam War. 

He’s also apprehensive that any escalation of violence could potentially give the Trump administration purported authority to declare martial law, he said. 

“I know it does not take much for the situation to become much more incendiary and to rationalize the imposition of martial law,” Liccardo said. “I have grave concerns that we have an autocratic president who is looking for reasons to flex his authoritarian muscle.” 

Placing National Guard personnel on domestic crime-fighting deployments takes them away from integral assignments to assist in cases of natural disaster — his legislation would not require accountability tracking in those situations, Liccardo said — and undermines the capabilities of local law enforcement, 

“Local communities know how to address crime in their communities,” he said. “As mayor of San Jose, we reduced homicides to the lowest of any major U.S. city without ever calling in the National Guard.”