A top Democrat is accusing President Donald Trump of causing the deadly terror attack that killed National Guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom and left Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe is fighting for his life.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) went on CNN and claimed Trump put troops in danger by deploying them to Washington, D.C. She argued that the attacker never would have traveled across the country if troops had not been on the streets near the White House.
Schultz said the president should have “reconsidered” sending the National Guard and insisted that local law enforcement could handle the city’s crime. She also called Trump’s response “disgusting,” adding that it is never his fault when something goes wrong.
Her comments immediately sparked backlash from the White House. Officials said Democrats were twisting the situation to score political points instead of focusing on the suspect who carried out the attack.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the attacker would not have been in the country at all if President Joe Biden’s border and refugee policies had not allowed thousands of unvetted individuals to enter.
Jackson said the Trump administration is working to remove violent criminals from the U.S., while Democrats fight every enforcement effort. She urged Democrats to stop defending extremists and start protecting Americans.
The suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, opened fire near the White House on Wednesday, killing Beckstrom and seriously injuring Wolfe. Police are treating the attack as terrorism, according to the Daily Mail.
Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 during Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan under a mass-entry program that has brought nearly 200,000 Afghans into the country.
Liberal commentators rushed to Schultz’s side. They accused Trump of endangering troops by placing National Guard members in Democrat-run cities. Many claimed the deployment was unnecessary and political.
A number of left-wing voices even argued that Trump’s decision to send troops into major cities earlier this year helped create the environment that led to Beckstrom’s death.
Critics pointed to the fact that Lakanwal received asylum this year, though they ignored that his arrival stemmed directly from Biden’s rushed Afghan evacuation.
The Washington Post reported that Lakanwal previously worked with a CIA-backed paramilitary group in Afghanistan. This detail led several liberal figures to attempt to blame Trump’s asylum approval, despite the suspect’s original entry happening on Biden’s watch.
New Yorker writer Jane Mayer attacked Trump for deploying troops and claimed they had “nothing to do” in the city. The White House responded sharply, calling her commentary heartless and accusing her of ignoring the immediate threat the troops faced.
The administration defended the National Guard and said the troops have saved lives in cities plagued by violence. Officials said critics are ignoring the rise in crime and the need for federal support.
Trump has repeatedly deployed National Guard members to help restore order in cities struggling with unrest. He has faced months of criticism from Democrats who oppose any federal action in their jurisdictions.
Hours before Wednesday’s attack, the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal seeking to overturn a ruling that called his D.C. troop deployment illegal. The decision to request 500 more troops came shortly before the shooting that claimed Beckstrom’s life.
