West Virginia’s governor says it is inappropriate to ask questions about whether members of the National Guard patrolling Washington, D.C., are prepared to quickly and efficiently respond with firearms in case of attack.

“I can assure folks that the people that we send in — anytime you’re sending anyone potentially in harm’s way, you want to make sure that they’re fully prepared, they’re very well trained,” Morrisey said on MetroNews Midday.

In response to a question about Guard members’ readiness to defend themselves, he continued, “I can assure people that they are.”

More detail about defensive readiness than that, the governor went on to say, should be off limits to the public.

West Virginia National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot Nov. 26 at the corner of 17th and I Streets NW. Beckstrom died on Thanksgiving Day, and Wolfe continues to recover from serious injuries.

A major with the National Guard who was nearby shot the suspect with his service weapon as the attacker was trying to reload his own gun, investigators said.

Authorities have said the suspect in the shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, came around a corner, raised his gun and fired at Guardsmen who were gathered at the location near a Metro stop. He has been formally charged with murder.

Lakanwal, 29, drove from his home in the state of Washington. He had previously worked with CIA-backed counterterrorism units in Afghanistan known as Zero Units. He had a Special Immigrant Visa because of that work but apparently had significant struggles adjusting to life in the United States.

“This is a tragedy that resulted from an ambush. It was nothing to do with their readiness posture. So specialist Baxter was attacked from behind at point blank range by a member of a CIA backed paramilitary unit, you know, a terrorist. So this was really important,” Morrisey said on MetroNews Midday.

At least two memos introduced into evidence by attorneys representing the Trump administration in a federal court case challenging the presence of the National Guard in the nation’s capital make reference to potential danger for operations under Joint Task Force-D.C.