COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine isn't considering sending National Guard troops to Chicago amid the Trump administration's newest plan to mobilize the military — but that could change once he gets the request, his team said.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump told reporters that Chicago was a "hellhole."
"Well, we're going in," Trump said. "I didn't say when we're going in."
At least eight people were killed and 58 others were injured in shootings over Labor Day Weekend, Chicago police said. The violence is the reason why Trump, despite already threatening to come to the city, made his decision.
"Look, I have an obligation," he said. "This isn't a political thing."
WATCH: More from DeWine on the possibility of the Ohio National Guard heading to Chicago
Currently, more than 150 National Guard members from Ohio have been mobilized in Washington, D.C. for nearly two weeks.
"Their work has been, continues to be guarding federal buildings and doing some patrols," DeWine said.
The Trump administration asked DeWine to deploy the troops, with Vice President JD Vance saying they will help reduce crime.
"The national capital of the most powerful nation in the history of the world had a murder every other day, carjackings, armed robberies that rival literal third world countries," Vance said at an event this past weekend.
Violent crime is at a 30-year low, according to D.C. police. Recently, troops have been spotted cleaning up garbage and doing landscaping. A Joint Task Force–District of Columbia Spokesperson told us that Ohio troops haven't been on trash patrol, though.
"To see those folks walking around with big trash bags on the National Mall, it's just not the best use of those folks, and frankly, not the best use of taxpayer money," veteran and lawyer Adam Miller said.
Miller rallied with about 30 other protestors when the troops first got to the capital, arguing to bring them home.
"Cancel this ill-considered, legally problematic and unwarranted mission," he said.
And a federal judge agrees — at least for Trump’s deployment in L.A. A California judge ruled that the president illegally sent troops in June to quell immigration protests, since federal law states that the military can’t be used for “domestic law enforcement” under the Posse Comitatus Act.
The judge ruled that Trump must stop using the military “to execute the laws, including but not limited to engaging in arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, security patrols, traffic control, crowd control, riot control, evidence collection, interrogation, or acting as informants” unless it meets the federal threshold.
RELATED: Trump's use of National Guard during Los Angeles immigration protests is illegal, judge rules
"'Does the mission in front of us meet the requirements of federal law and the state law that implements that law in our federal system?' And if it doesn't, then we don't send our troops," Miller said.
Trump's team dismissed the ruling, and the president said that he actually helped California in curbing the anti-ICE protests.
DeWine spokesperson Dan Tierney said that this ruling doesn’t have the same application in D.C., since Trump has more authority in the capital.
I asked Tierney if they would send troops to other cities if asked, but they said they could not consider it without seeing an order, and thus, aren't considering it yet.
However, DeWine has repeatedly said that he approved the D.C. request because he tends to accept every ask, like he has done in the past for both Republican and Democratic leaders of other states during natural disasters or from mayors when there is civil unrest in Ohio cities.
"My decision to send the National Guard to Washington, D.C. is the same reason that I did to Columbus — made that available when the Columbus mayor wanted the guard — the same way with Cleveland," the governor said.
The DC deployment will last 30 days, but the governor’s team told us that if Trump asks, he will extend.
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