With “No Kings” anti-Trump protests scheduled for at least 13 Wyoming towns Saturday, Gov. Mark Gordon indicates he doesn’t expect the fiery scenes flowing out of Los Angeles, because “Wyoming is not Los Angeles.
The Wyoming Democratic Party called on Gordon this week to reject any attempt by the president to federalize the Wyoming National Guard against protest and dissent.
The call comes in the wake of several days of anti-immigration-enforcement protests in Los Angeles that have at times turned violent and destructive. President Donald Trump federalized the California National Guard, deploying it without Gov. Gavin Newsom’s consent, and he also launched U.S. Marines into the protest zone.
Gordon in a Thursday email to Cowboy State Daily said if there’s a “formal request” for the deployment of the Wyoming National Guard in the Cowboy State, he would “thoroughly evaluate it to ensure the mission aligns with the Guard’s core responsibilities, available resources and the best interests of the state.”
While not saying outright how he’d respond if Trump federalized the guard or deployed U.S. troops in Wyoming, Gordon said his goal is to ensure the guard’s priorities of defending Wyomingites’ rights and state, responding to emergencies and supporting federal missions “remain front and center.”
Gordon is pleased guard personnel are home with their families, he said.
This Is Wyoming: Act Accordingly
But Wyoming is not Los Angeles, Gordon added.
“Wyoming citizens are accustomed to expressing their viewpoints and we all appreciate that right,” he said. “Protests in Wyoming have historically been non-violent, peaceful and respectful of boundaries.”
He said local law enforcement agencies should be able to work together, and his office has not received requests for help from them.
Dems Say Don’t Do That
The Wyoming Democratic Party in a Tuesday statement called on Gordon “to publicly reject any attempt” by Trump to federalize the state’s national guard to suppress protest, dissent or political opposition within the state.
Thousands of Wyomingites are preparing to protest peacefully, claims the statement, “exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of speech and assembly.”
The party called using military force against American citizens unconstitutional and un-American.
“Standing up for what we believe is the Wyoming way,” said Party Chair Lucas Fralik. “Any federal attempt to interfere with that isn’t just legally dubious, it’s insulting to who we are.”
Lastly, the Democratic Party urged Gordon to uphold the state’s “long, proud history of pushing back against federal overreach.”
Judge Looking At This
Trump in recent days federalized 4,000 members of California’s National Guard to assist at protests in Los Angeles, the first time a president has done so in 60 years. After that, he deployed 700 active-duty Marines to the city.
Newsom sued on his state’s sovereignty rights, and Trump’s actions are now under judicial review.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Breyer on Thursday cast doubts about the legality of the National Guard deployment.
The judge indicated he doubted whether the protests rise to the level of a “rebellion” as the Trump administration has argued.
“That’s the difference between a Constitutional government and King George,” Breyer said. “It’s not that a leader can simply say something and it becomes it.”
While some California officials and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have cast the protests as mostly peaceful, video from the scene depicts self-driving cars in flames, masked figures throwing rocks at law enforcement vehicles, and fights in the streets.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
