The White House is fuming over Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's decision to warn residents about impending raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last weekend. Her decision to do so is now under review by Justice Department officials, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters during a press conference Thursday
Schaaf’s office says it has no knowledge of any review and would not comment further. But the mayor has refused to back down, previously saying she believes she did the right thing in issuing the alert.
Most experts doubt charges will ultimately be brought against Schaaf. But what’s truly remarkable, says former deputy assistant attorney general and UC San Diego professor Harry Litman, is "the near open warfare between the local and federal authorities."
"Normally the federal government takes the lead and the state authorities follow in these sorts of things," he said. Now, "you have essentially an almost guerrilla movement by local authorities to try and undo federal law enforcement efforts."
Welcome to 2018.