President pulls Guard out of L.A., other cities

Trump says troops can go with crime 'greatly reduced.' Newsom cites court rulings.

- BY MELODY GUTIERREZ AND JAMES QUEALLY

THE CALIFORNIA National Guard holds a line in front of anti-ICE protesters outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles in June.

President Trump said Wednesday that he is removing the National Guard from the Democrat-led cities of Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Chicago, following a Supreme Court ruling that cast doubt on the administration's legal theory for using the troops in domestic law enforcement operations.

The president, however, said the decision was based solely on what he described as "greatly reduced" crime in those cities and left open the possibility of future federal intervention.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office countered Trump's reasoning for removing troops in Los Angeles, saying the decision was due to California's recent victories in court, including a ruling Wednesday returning control of the Guard to the state.

"I'm glad President Trump has finally admitted defeat: we've said all along the federalization of the National Guard in California is illegal," Newsom said in a statement.

The back and forth followed a brief filed with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday in which Justice Department lawyers said they formally withdrew a request to keep the troops under federal control while the appeal proceeds. A subsequent order Wednesday from the appeals court returned control of the California National Guard to Newsom.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court handed Trump a temporary defeat, blocking him from deploying the National Guard in Chicago.

In their ruling, the justices said the power to deploy troops domestically is given to the president only in "exceptional" circumstances.