The administration is planning to send 150 federal agents to combat violence in Chicago, but for now is not saying which agency they will come from or what their mission will be. 

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany provided a legal justification for sending Homeland Security officials to Portland, pointing to a statute that allows the feds to deputize officials to protect federal property, following a clash at a federal courthouse in Portland.

But she did not state what legal authority Trump would exercise to dispatch 150 federal agents to Chicago – among a handful of cities experiencing violent crime where Trump said he would insert federal forces, despite angry pushback from Mayor Lori Lightfoot.  

'It's egregious what's happening,' McEnany said, rattling off a number of incidents where people who joined protests have thrown objects at officers.

  'President Trump is taking action in Portland, even though you have a Democrat mayor and Democrat governor unwilling to work with us in the situation. We are surging resources along with secretary [Chad] Wolf at DHS and augmenting the federal protective service to safeguard federal property,' she said.