President Donald Trump announced Monday he was placing Washington D.C.'s police department under direct federal control and deploying 800 National Guard troops to "rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor." The unprecedented federal takeover comes despite crime figures declining for the past two years, as The Independent reports.
Trump declared Monday as "Liberation Day in D.C." during his press conference, stating "we're gonna take our capital back" while invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. The action was triggered by an attack on Edward "Big Balls" Coristine, a 19-year-old former DOGE employee, during an attempted carjacking, according to the Daily Mail.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser described the administration's plans as "unsettling and unprecedented," though she said she was "not totally surprised" by them. Multi-agency task forces from the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration were spotted on Washington streets Sunday before Monday's official announcement, NPR reported.
Federal operations begin
The White House announced authorities arrested 37 criminals, seized 11 illegal firearms and issued four narcotic charges during initial operations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated National Guard troops would not remain passive observers, stating on Fox News they would "help somebody, interdict, temporarily detain" when witnessing crimes.
However, the 800 National Guard troops will not perform direct law enforcement tasks, The New York Times reported, citing Pentagon officials. The forces began "hitting the streets" of Washington D.C. as part of multi-agency task forces to clean up crime, according to official White House announcements.
Political firestorm erupts
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pointed to violent crime being at a 30-year low in Washington, sharing data showing overall violent crime down 35 percent from 2023. The Daily Mail reports the White House launched aggressive personal attacks on Clinton in response, signalling an escalated political combat approach.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticised Trump for delaying National Guard deployment on January 6th 2021 when the Capitol was under attack. She wrote that he's now "activating the D.C. Guard to distract from his incompetent mishandling of tariffs, health care, education and immigration -- just to name a few blunders."
Epstein files controversy emerges
Some critics believe the move has less to do with crime and more to do with the administration's handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes. Last month, the Justice Department and FBI released a memo stating there was no client list of powerful people who may have partaken in Epstein's crimes, that Epstein died by suicide, and "no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted."
The memo sparked backlash from Trump's own base, leaving many unanswered questions and concerns the government may be covering up materials of public interest. Pete Buttigieg, who was transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden, blasted the federal takeover as "dangerous, authoritarian actions" designed to solve Trump's political problems rather than improve city safety.
"The president is doing this not in order to make the city safer -- that's the job of local law enforcement -- but to solve his own political problems," Buttigieg said, according to The Independent. "He needs to get his base talking and thinking about something besides his refusal to open up the Epstein files because he's mixed up in them."
Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein or his crimes. The Wall Street Journal reported Justice Department officials told Trump earlier this year his name appeared in the Epstein files, though Trump had socialised with the convicted sex offender decades ago and a mention does not indicate wrongdoing.
Democratic coordination strategy
Multiple Democratic officials echoed similar messaging about the Epstein files distraction theory, representing what appears to be a coordinated response, as The Independent reports. Senator Patty Murray called Trump a "pathetic wannabe dictator who wants to distract you from his connection to the Epstein files, skyrocketing costs, and his weak job numbers."
Representative Eric Swalwell shared similar sentiments, claiming "Trump's federal takeover of D.C. isn't about safety, it's about distracting Americans from high prices, a bad jobs report, a falling economy, and the Epstein files." Representative Jim McGovern wrote that "crime is WAY up at the White House" while demanding Trump release the Epstein files immediately.
Trump had asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce "any and all pertinent" grand jury transcripts in the criminal cases of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. However, judges have denied most requests, with a federal judge in New York still considering releasing testimony in Epstein's 2019 investigation.
Expansion signals emerge
Trump suggested during his press conference he would "look at" crime in other major cities including New York City and Chicago, calling Chicago a "disaster" and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker "incompetent." Conservative movement figures are advocating for expanding federal intervention to other major cities, according to reports.
Pritzker responded defiantly, taking Trump's criticism as a "compliment" while demanding transparency. "Let's not lie to the public, you and I both know you have no authority to take over Chicago," he wrote. "By the way, where are the Epstein files?"
Sources used: "PA Media", "The Independent", "NPR", "The New York Times", "Fox News", "The Wall Street Journal", "Daily Mail"
Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
