Republican Gov. Phil Scott has 鈥減olitely declined鈥� a federal request to deploy Vermont National Guard soldiers to Washington, D.C. as part of President Donald Trump鈥檚 controversial directive to tamp down on crime.
At Trump鈥檚 behest, the federal government has and dispatched approximately 800 National Guard troops, as well as roughly 500 federal law enforcement agents, to patrol the streets.
Their numbers could have included a 鈥渇ew dozen鈥� soldiers from Vermont, according to Scott鈥檚 chief of staff, Jason Gibbs, had the governor not rebuffed a preliminary request from the Pentagon last week.
鈥淲hile public safety is a legitimate concern in cities across the country and certainly in the nation鈥檚 capital, in the absence of an immediate emergency or disaster that local and regional first responders are unable to handle, the governor just does not support utilizing the guard for this purpose, and does not view the enforcement of domestic law as a proper use of the National Guard,鈥� Gibbs said Friday.
Gibbs said the governor鈥檚 calculation might have been different if Washington, D.C. officials were seeking federal assistance with an emergency situation. Instead, the city on Friday filed a legal challenge to the Trump administration鈥檚 takeover of its police force.
鈥淏ut in this case, because it is being hyperpoliticized, the governor doesn鈥檛 feel like 鈥� and I believe the vast majority of Vermonters don鈥檛 feel like 鈥� it would be an acceptable and appropriate use of the National Guard,鈥� Gibbs said.
It isn鈥檛 the first time Scott has denied the Trump administration鈥檚 request to use Vermont National Guard soldiers for a domestic mission. Late last month, the Pentagon asked Scott to mobilize a dozen Guard soldiers to perform administrative duties at detention facilities operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Scott , saying it was inconsistent with his views of the purpose of the National Guard.
The Republican governor鈥檚 decision caught the attention of a group of retired four-star admirals and generals, who sent a letter to Scott Thursday praising his actions. The letter, signed by people including retired Adm. Steve Abbott, the former acting homeland security advisor to President Trump, and retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said Trump鈥檚 recent requests for Guard troops 鈥渞epresent a troubling blurring of lines between civilian law enforcement and military responsibilities.鈥�
鈥淏y rejecting the Department of Defense鈥檚 request to activate the Vermont Army National Guard as an inappropriate use of military resources, you stood up for the security of Vermonters and the healthy civil-military relationship envisioned by our nation鈥檚 founders,鈥� they wrote.
While Scott has thus far into the second Trump administration turned down all federal requests related to potential Guard operations, he has complied with other controversial orders.
Earlier this month, Scott of the sensitive personal information of about 140,000 low-income Vermonters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His decision drew condemnation from food-security advocates and prominent Vermont Democrats.
Scott said an exhaustive legal review by his administration concluded that the Trump administration's demand for the data was a lawful order.
Gibbs said Friday that the governor鈥檚 pattern of decision-making, when it comes to requests from the federal government over the past seven months, reflects a deliberative process that is 鈥渄isciplined and clinical.鈥�
鈥淗e makes a decision that is very detail driven. And it鈥檚 not politically driven. It鈥檚 not rhetorically driven. It鈥檚 not driven by media, and it鈥檚 not driven by fear or anger or frustration,鈥� Gibbs said.
鈥淎nd that type of protocol we believe serves everyone well 鈥� and represents the type of leadership in this particular political environment that is different than what we鈥檙e seeing on both sides of the political spectrum.鈥�
