US Republicans investigating California governor and LA mayor over riots
The US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has begun an investigation into riots in California that have followed a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on illegal migrants. Committee members are accusing Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass of inaction and obstructing federal attempts to manage the unrest.
The protests that erupted last week quickly devolved into riots, with participants torching police cars and US flags, blocking highways, and clashing with law enforcement officers. The latter have responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, with hundreds of arrests, as well as multiple injuries on both sides reported.
The start of the probe was announced in a press release by the US House Oversight Committee on Friday.
Chairman James Comer and Clay Higgins, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, both Republicans, sent letters to Newsom and Bass, requesting that they hand over 'documents and communications' dated June 1, 2025 and later, relevant to the ongoing riots and the state authorities' response to them.
The letters also accused the two Democrats of falsely claiming that 'state and local law enforcement had protests under control' and of 'falsely blaming' President Donald Trump 'for the actions of violent rioters.'
Newsom previously sued the Trump administration over its decision to deploy the National Guard to California. On Thursday, a US district judge ruled the move illegal, only for a Court of Appeals to issue a temporary injunction against that ruling hours later. For now, the National Guard remains under Trump's control, and not that of the state authorities, until a hearing on Tuesday.
Responding to the committee's request, Governor Newsom's press office said in a post on X on Saturday that the records requested 'will include some highly unusual communications from the White House.'
'We're good with transparency. Will the White House say the same?' the message added.
In an acrimonious exchange throughout the week, Newsom described Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard as a 'step toward authoritarianism' and a 'serious breach of state sovereignty.'
Trump, in turn, urged the 'grossly incompetent' California governor to 'get his act together' and to 'apologize… for the absolutely horrible job' he has allegedly done.
The US president also suggested he would back a proposal by White House border czar Tom Homan to have Newsom arrested for allegedly obstructing federal immigration enforcement efforts.
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