Critics scorn DeWine for sending Ohio National Guard to ‘bogus’ D.C. emergency

Aug. 20—A group of activists gathered at the Ohio Statehouse Wednesday to criticize Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision to send 150 Ohio National Guard members for what organizers called a “bogus” and “manufactured” emergency in Washington D.C.

Ohio’s troops, which traveled to the nation’s capital Wednesday at the behest of President Donald Trump and his Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, are expected to protect federal buildings and perform presence patrols, according to DeWine’s spokesperson Dan Tierney.

Ohio’s contribution to the effort makes it six Republican states that have agreed to send 1,100 combined troops to support the 800 D.C. National Guard members already mobilized by Trump earlier this month in an effort to address what he’s called a “crime emergency in the District of Columbia” — a characterization disputed by D.C. officials — and to remove homeless encampments in the capital.

Critics in Ohio’s capital on Wednesday raised concerns with the precedent created by both Trump’s call to action and DeWine’s decision to lend troops.

“The fear here… is that what we are seeing is a normalization of using military to enforce local and domestic laws. Again, this should be a last-case scenario in true emergencies,” Gary Daniels, chief lobbyist for the ACLU of Ohio, told reporters. “There is a very real fear, warranted fear that this is just the beginning. We’re only several months into this four-year presidency, and it begs the question: How much more will we see manufactured crises, drama, and similar controversies in the future?”

Adam Miller, an Army veteran and former Democratic Ohio House representative, said the mission could be damaging for Ohio’s guard members.

“Sending troops on a mission that is ill-advised and unwarranted has a corrosive effect on morale, readiness and abilities of those units. It’s just wrong. It’s the worst thing you can do,” he said. “(When) we’re trying to encourage students to join the National Guard, to join the reserves; creating fake missions where we put their lives at risk for no reason — that’s the wrong way.”

Ohio’s 150 troops were requested to carry out the D.C. mission for at least 30 days, but Tierney noted that it’s possible the federal government could request to extend their time in D.C.

DeWine has defended his decision to comply with the White House’s request, saying it’s consistent with previous Ohio National Guard deployments. DeWine sent Ohio National Guard to D.C. in 2020 during protests following the…