Trump threatens $5B lawsuit over report challenging National Guard crime impact

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is threatening a $5 billion lawsuit against the Center for American Progress (CAP) over a report that questioned the effectiveness of his administration’s National Guard deployments in several cities.

Trump's personal lawyer, Alejandro Brito, sent the liberal research organization a letter demanding that it retract the report, according to the New York Times. CAP, however, rejected the demand and said it firmly stands by its findings.

Trump lawyer demands retraction of National Guard report

CAP's report, released July 13, examined National Guard deployments in Washington, DC, Memphis and Los Angeles and concluded that the operations had not produced a measurable impact on crime. The organization estimated that the deployments had cost about $1.7 billion.

The report compared crime trends in cities that received National Guard deployments with those that did not and found that rates of decline were not statistically different. It also said violent crime had begun falling before Trump returned to office in January 2025.

Brito's letter argued that the report falsely created the impression that Trump had deliberately misled the public about the deployments.

“The effect on the mind of the reader and viewer of the Statements that Defendants intended to impose is that the President of the United States knowingly deceived the American people, manipulated crime statistics for political advantage, exploited public fear… and then lied about its success,” Brito wrote.

However, CAP rejected that allegation and characterized the threatened defamation lawsuit as “baseless.” The organization said its report addressed crime statistics, causality and federal government actions rather than the president personally.

CAP's president and CEO, Neera Tanden, said the organization would not withdraw the report. “Based on analysis of crime data, our report demonstrated facts about the National Guard deployments that are inconvenient to the Trump administration,” Tanden said. “This threatened lawsuit's attack on facts and evidence is baseless.”

Louisiana National Guard deployment ends amid crime debate

The legal dispute comes as Louisiana's National Guard prepares to conclude its deployment in New Orleans. Mayor Helena Moreno's office said operations will end on Monday, August 24, with the soldiers' final day in the city set for August 31.

About 350 National Guard troops were initially sent to New Orleans in December after Governor Jeff Landry requested the deployment and Trump approved it. The deployment was initially expected to last two months before Landry sought an extension. Trump has repeatedly credited the National Guard presence with helping reduce crime and contributing to a successful Mardi Gras season.

Moreno, however, has credited the New Orleans Police Department's multiyear efforts for the decline. In a statement marking the deployment's conclusion, Moreno thanked the troops and said the city would continue working with the National Guard during major events, including Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl.

Landry criticized the statement in posts on X, arguing that Moreno had failed to recognize his role and Trump's approval of the deployment.