WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump deployed 800 National Guard troops to the streets of Washington, DC, a rare flex of his presidential authority over the military while a court mulls the legality of his prior order sending troops to Los Angeles.

Trump's plan to address crime in D.C. calls for deploying National Guard troops along the National Mall overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, according to a source.

President Donald Trump said Monday he is placing Washington, DC’s, police department “under direct federal control” and deploying National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, citing a public safety emergency after an assault on a former government worker.