CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The West Virginia Democratic Party is asking Governor Patrick Morrisey to provide more information about the ongoing deployment of West Virginia National Guard personnel to Washington, D.C.
Party leaders say the request follows multiple news reports indicating that Guard members — including those from West Virginia — have been assigned to landscaping and trash-removal tasks while deployed.
West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin said, “West Virginians deserve answers, which is why we are calling on Governor Morrisey to explain how these duties align with the crime fighting mission he and the Trump administration outlined to the public as the original rationale for deploying these troops to Washington, D.C.”
“Respectfully, West Virginians deserve to know whether this deployment was designed primarily for public safety or whether our Guard was assigned work far outside its traditional responsibilities while putting themselves in harm’s way.”
The concerns come as Guard families continue to mourn the recent shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members deployed in the capital, one of whom died.
According to reports cited by the West Virginia Democratic Party, Guard members in Washington have taken on “beautification” duties.
Military Times reported troops cleared 1,150 bags of trash, spread 1,045 cubic yards of mulch, removed 50 truckloads of plant waste, cleared 7.9 miles of roadway, painted 270 feet of fencing, and pruned 400 trees.
PBS NewsHour, NBC Washington, and The Guardian also reported that Guard members had been assigned tasks such as picking up trash, landscaping, graffiti removal, and parks-maintenance work.
The party says that these descriptions differ from the Trump Administration’s stated reason for the deployment, which it described as a response to an “epidemic of crime” in Washington, D.C.
Federal officials said the action was needed to ensure the government could function “without fear of being subjected to violent, menacing street crime.” Governor Morrisey has also said the Guard was sent to help “protect our nation’s capital.”
“If these brave men and women were allegedly deployed to protect the public from violent crime, why were so many of them directed to perform landscaping, trash removal, and beautification work — tasks normally handled by the National Park Service or city workers?” Pushkin said.
In a response, Governor Patrick Morrisey’s office said, “As the Guard said in August, their mission is to support ‘in areas of sustainment, logistics, administration, public affairs and Joint Staff augmentation. Security missions include static and roving presence patrols. WVNG service members are not conducting beautification projects, such as litter collection and site restoration.’”
