The former Capitol Police chief who led the department during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol Building took to social media on Wednesday to shred former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after the one-time Democratic leader criticized President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to help protect federal buildings and personnel in Los Angeles.
Trump federalized as many as 4,000 California National Guard troops while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed another 700 U.S. Marines to the troubled city after riots broke out stemming from Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of illegal migrants who have been convicted of various crimes.
The riots that began last weekend lasted for several days, prompting the president to take action when it became obvious that Democratic L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom were not responding fast enough to protect ICE agents and other federal installations.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Pelosi blasted Trump’s decision to send in troops, incorrectly citing the Constitution and ignoring the fact that a Democratic president, Lyndon B. Johnson, did the same thing during the tumultuous 1960s when he activated Alabama National Guard troops to protect civil rights protesters.
