White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday said the Trump administration has the legal authority to send officers to Portland and potentially other cities in response to crime and unrest.
When she was pressed on whether the Constitution gives the federal government the ability to send agents to cities without the approval of their respective mayors, McEnany cited a provision of 40 U.S. Code 1315, that says the Department of Homeland Security secretary “shall protect the buildings, grounds and property that are owned, occupied, or secured by the federal government … and the persons on the property.”
