“The district court has no authority to usurp the president’s authority as commander in chief,” Kelly said in an emailed statement to the Southern California News Group. “The president exercised his lawful authority to mobilize the National Guard to protect federal buildings and personnel in Gavin Newsom’s lawless Los Angeles.”

The Justice Department claims California's request to limit the federal response to violent riots in Los Angeles would "countermand" the president's lawful military directives.