White House releases data debunking Democrats' criticism of DC federalization

Donald Trump announced Monday that federal authorities will assume control of security in Washington, D.C., and that he will deploy the National Guard to "rescue" the city from "crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse." 

At a press conference at the White House, Trump took aim at those who have been in charge in the capital. "This dire public safety crisis stems directly from the abject failures of the city's local leadership. The radical left City Council adopted no-cash bail," he said, alluding to the Democratic Party.

D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser recently said crime rates are dropping in the city, based on the data from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) released in January in a United States Attorney´s Office (USAO) report.

Trump responded Monday by asserting that the numbers  were "phony" and promised that Attorney General Pam Bondi will be "looking into that."

Also, the president noted that D.C. police Commander Michael Pulliam, whose district included the densely populated neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights, was suspended in May for allegedly falsifying crime data to make trends appear more positive.

Democrats: Violent crime in DC is at its lowest point in 30 years

Faced with the Trump administration's announcement, the response from Democrats was not long in coming. Several of them have used the MPD data published in the report criticized by Trump to lambast the president's decision to federalize the capital to fight crime.

The document asserts that "total violent crime for 2024 in the District of Columbia is down 35% from 2023 and is the lowest it has been in over 30 years."

Breaking down the figures further, the data showed that homicides were down 32%, robberies were down 39% and armed carjackings were down 53%.

Hillary Clinton used this data to criticize the president Monday, posting on X that Trump was "unhinged" trying to justify deploying the National Guard in DC.

"Violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low," Clinton added, citing the USAO report.

On the other hand, House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sharply criticized Trump's decision, similarly asserting that "violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at a thirty-year low."

"Donald Trump has no basis to take over the local police department," he added.

"The Trump administration has consistently broken the law and violated the Constitution to further the personal and political agenda of a wannabe king," he stated. And he called the president and Republicans "cowardly."

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser again cited the USAO report to reiterate that violent crime is at its lowest level in 30 years.

"It is true we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023," Bowser said Monday during MSNBC's "The Weekend" show. "We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city, driving it down to a 30-year low, in fact."

D.C. commander manipulated crime statistics

In May, Commander Michael Pulliam was suspended for allegedly modifying crime statistics in his district.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the same department that provided the data for the USAO report used by Democrats to criticize the Trump administration's decision to federalize the nation's capital, confirmed to NBC4 that Pulliam was suspended in mid-May.

On the other hand, the police union has defended Pulliam, saying that MPD leadership orders subordinates to change data regarding violent crimes "and this is deliberately done," D.C. Police Union President Gregg Pemberton asserted.

In July, when NBC4 spoke with Pemberton, crime data in the capital showed a 28% drop. Days later, the department's website said violent crime was down 25% compared to the same period last year, and overall crime was down 8%.

Pemberton assured NBC4: "There's absolutely no way crime could be down 28%. Last year they suggested that it went down 34%."

Separately, Pemberton on Monday backed President Trump, saying in an interview on Fox News, "We completely agree with the president that crime in the District of Columbia is out of control and something needs to be done with it."

The White House: "Yes, crime in DC is out of control."

In the face of the proliferation of fake news, the White House released a statement Monday reiterating that crime is "out of control" in Washington, D.C.

"Unfortunately, while Fake News journalists and politicians go out of their way to claim otherwise, the reality is that our nation’s capital is anything but safe," the statement reads.

Likewise, the White House says MPD leaders "are allegedly cooking the books to make crime statistics appear more favorable."

As a way to counter the misinformation, the Trump administration has released a series of data points that disprove the narratives wielded by Democrats: