Juliet Kayem, a contributor to Atlantic and a national security analyst for CNN, faced backlash for her recent column criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C. She stated that this action endangers the lives of the soldiers. Kayem asserted that the troop deployment was unnecessary, linking it to the shooting deaths of two Guardsmen on Wednesday.
In her piece, she warned that “effectively deploying military members has costs, one of which is the risk of putting them in harm’s way.”
On Wednesday, an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Rakanwar allegedly shot and killed Guardsmen Sara Beckstrom and Andrew Wolf near the White House in what officials described as a “targeted” attack. Beckstrom succumbed to his injuries on Thanksgiving Day, while Wolf remains hospitalized.
Rakanwar was apprehended after being wounded by responding Guardsmen and is currently recovering. President Trump labeled the incident a crime against the nation, vowing that the perpetrators would face severe consequences.
Kayem contended that this tragedy could have been avoided, as Trump had been cautioned against keeping troops in the capital. She criticized the deployment, noting that those assigned to reduce crime lack proper law enforcement training and often find themselves performing mundane tasks like picking up trash.
She argued that Trump’s use of the National Guard seems more about political gain than actual security, claiming, “Politics is not a military mission, so the National Guard is vulnerable.”
Furthermore, Kayem pointed out that even if the deployment was lawful, it comes with vague rules of engagement and unclear objectives, contributing to low morale among soldiers tasked with patrolling cities they may feel unwelcome in.
Conservative commentators hit back at Kayem’s assertions. One prominent conservative voice criticized her for blaming the victims, claiming that the National Guard’s presence is actually effective in reducing violent crime. Others suggested her arguments were contradictory, asserting that one cannot simultaneously argue that D.C. is too dangerous for military personnel while calling for their deployment.
Furthermore, journalist Drew Holden lamented that the media seemed to be shifting blame from the shooter to the military, which had been positioned to deal with potential threats.
In a response, White House Press Secretary Abigail Jackson condemned those placing blame on Trump for the shootings. She attributed the shooter’s presence to the lenient immigration policies of the Biden administration and called for bipartisan cooperation to protect American citizens.
