Washington DC is an absolute war zone tonight
Donald Trump can’t invoke the Insurrection Act in any state without the approval of that state’s governor, so his huffing and puffing during his press conference today was mostly just that. But because Washington DC has no governor, Trump can send the U.S. military to attack protesters near the White House, and that’s precisely what’s happening tonight.
It’s not just that Trump had the military fire tear gas at peaceful protesters outside the White House so that he could do a photo shoot. It’s that afterward, images of military abuse of force have emerged across the city. The TV networks are broadcasting footage of helicopters hovering low over protesters to try to force them to disperse, and of personnel firing flashbangs at protesters across DC.
Things have gotten so out of control, nearby Arlington County, Virginia announced on Twitter that it was pulling its officers out of Washington DC, because Donald Trump’s antics were putting everyone involved in danger: “We ordered @ArlingtonVaPD to immediately leave DC. Appalled mutual aid agreement abused to endanger their and others safety for a photo op.”
