‘Why in the Hell Are You Doing That?’ Fox News Contributor Slams Trump’s Deployment of More National Guard Members After D.C. Shooting

Fox News contributor Ted Williams bashed President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy 500 additional National Guard members to Washington, D.C., after two soldiers were shot.

On Wednesday, two West Virginia National Guard members were shot and are in critical condition. The suspect is an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who came to the country legally during the Biden administration and overstayed his visa.

In August, Trump deployed the National Guard to the nation’s capital, ostensibly to combat crime. Law enforcement experts, such as Williams, widely panned the move because the National Guard does not train its members in law enforcement.

After the shooting, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that Trump had ordered an additional 500 members of the National Guard to D.C.

“This happened just steps away from the White House,” Hegseth said. “It will not stand.”

Appearing on The Ingraham Angle hours after the shooting, Williams, a former member of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, ripped the additional deployment:

I think we need to stick away from this Democrat/Republican. We’ve got two American, two National Guardsmen who have been shot in the District of Columbia. One of my deepest concerns right now is that the president has decided to send 500 additional National Guard members to the District of Columbia. Now, I’m asking, why in the hell are you doing that, President?

I hope you rethink that because the sad part about this right now is that the National Guard are out there on the streets and they are deeply concerned. They know that two of their fellow National Guardsmen have been shot, and they are gonna be on a high state of alert. And the last thing we need in the District of Columbia or anywhere else is another Kent State.

Guest-host Jason Chaffetz was taken aback and had this exchange with Williams:

CHAFFETZ: Ted, Ted, are the National Guardsmen the good guys or the bad guys? They’re good guys.

WILLIAMS: They are absolutely–

CHAFFETZ: I can’t believe, but Ted, hold on a sec. Hold on, ok, why do you want less good guys? I, I, I’m shocked to hear you say that because I gotta tell you–

WILLIAMS: No, Jason, the National Guard is not trained, the National Guard members are not trained to do law enforcement work. And we’re happy in the District of Columbia they are on the streets of District of Columbia. We need to leave politics out of it. We just need to pray for the recovery of these two individuals. We need to get to the bottom and motive of why. Why would someone come into the District of Columbia with a gun, and just randomly ambush and shoot two National Guard members? That is what I’m deeply concerned about.

CHAFFETZ: Ted, I agree with you. Prayers, and well-wishes and everything we can do to support. But, I personally, I think it’s– I’m glad the president of the United States acted immediately and that the secretary of war stood up and said, you’re not gonna reward this. There’s gonna be more troops. There’s gonna be more support so that these things don’t happen. And when homicides are down 60% in Washington, D.C., and crime is down 30%, the men who live there and visit there are glad that these people are there. And I don’t think you go and say oh no, we need less. We’re gonna have–

WILLIAMS: I’m glad–

CHAFFETZ: Ted, you got to say your bit. No, I’m gonna keep going here because we gotta move onto the next part of the panel. But I want you to really think this thing through because less of them is not the answer to this. More of them is the right answer. And that should be debated in this country.

WILLIAMS: More law enforcement officers on the street is the answer. Professionals.

CHAFFETZ: Yes, yes. And they are [unintelligible]

Watch above via Fox News.