Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt condemned the deployment of National Guard troops across state lines, a rare note of Republican criticism for the Trump administration’s aggressive use of military troops in American cities.
Stitt, who chairs the bipartisan National Governors Association, said that while he supports President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime, he thought the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Illinois violated the idea of states’ rights.
“Oklahomans would lose their mind if [Gov. JB] Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration,” Stitt told The New York Times in an interview.
He added that he was “surprised” by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to send his troops across state lines, pointing to his cooperation with Abbott in challenging the Biden administration’s Covid policies “when the shoe was on the other foot.”
Texas National Guard troops arrived in the Chicago area this week, and the Trump administration has sought to federalize the Illinois National Guard. Pritzker, a Democrat, and other Illinois leaders have challenged the move in court.
The Trump administration has said the deployments are necessary to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and facilities from protestors and agitators, although Pritzker maintained Thursday that the demonstrations have been largely peaceful and “for the most part, admirable.”
Spokespeople for Stitt, Abbott and the NGA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Stitt’s comments mark the first public criticism of the move from a sitting Republican governor. Democratic leaders — including Pritzker, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — have been sharply critical of the use of military troops in cities, with all three filing lawsuits seeking to curb the moves.
Newsom and Pritzker have also threatened to leave the NGA if the organization did not speak up against the interstate National Guard deployments. In the interview, Stitt shrugged off those demands, citing the NGA’s status as a tax-exempt nonprofit.
