The Democratic governor of Oregon said Wednesday that she will refuse to send National Guard forces to guard the border with Mexico.
Gov. Kate Brown even trolled President Trump, tagging his “RealDonaldTrump” handle in the tweets in which she said her state’s units will not participate in his border-security plan.
“If @realDonaldTrump asks me to deploy Oregon Guard troops to the Mexico border, I’ll say no. As Commander of Oregon’s Guard, I’m deeply troubled by Trump’s plan to militarize our border,” she wrote on Twitter.
If @realDonaldTrump asks me to deploy Oregon Guard troops to the Mexico border, I’ll say no. As Commander of Oregon’s Guard, I’m deeply troubled by Trump’s plan to militarize our border.
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) April 4, 2018
In a later tweet, she said there had been no request by the federal government to send Oregon’s Guard units.
But nevertheless, “I have no intention of allowing Oregon’s guard troops to be used to distract from his troubles in Washington,” she wrote.
There’s been no outreach by the President or federal officials, and I have no intention of allowing Oregon’s guard troops to be used to distract from his troubles in Washington.
— Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) April 4, 2018
Mr. Trump signed an order Wednesday ordering the deployment of National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, with his Homeland Security secretary saying it would be along the lines of similar actions taken by both his two immediate predecessors as president — Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
Theoretically, a president can override a governor in this matter, by formally “federalizing” the National Guard into active duty, as happened during both Mr. Bush’s war on terrorism and his father’s earlier war to reverse Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. But Mr. Trump’s measure Wednesday was not such an order.
The first reaction on Twitter to Ms. Brown’s planting of her state’s flag against protecting the border came from Terri Lamke, whose Twitter bio included the hashtags “MAGA” and “Keep America Great.”
“Well thank God your not on a border,” she told the Oregon governor. “So glad you think of yourself over the rest of us and your own citizens.”
Well thank God your not on a border country. So glad you think of yourself over the rest of us and your own citizens.
— Terri Lamke (@terri_lamke) April 4, 2018
There was no immediate reaction to the governor from @RealDonaldTrump.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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