FBI Director Kash Patel backs Trump plan to federalize DC police

FBI Director Kash Patel supported President Donald Trump’s plan to handle the metropolitan police department to tackle the crime in Washington DC, amidst heavy criticism by Democrats and local authorities, who say this step is part of a power grab.

Patel was seen inside a command post for the first night of temporary acquisition at a show of law enforcement support on Monday afternoon.

Patel said in a special statement for Fox News Digital, “It is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with men and women who protect the capital of our country.” “When you allow good police to be police, give them the equipment that they need, and return them to every step, they distribute each time.”

In specially provided photographs to Fox News Digital, Patel can be seen wearing a protective vested at a command center at the US Park Police Station, Patel on Monday.

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On Monday, Trump said that he would make the police department federal and put it under the right of American Attorney General Palm Bondi in an attempt to address the crime. He also said that he was activating about 800 National Guard soldiers to re -establish “law, order and public security” in the capital.

Washington DC, Mayor Murial Boseer called the move “unresolved and unprecedented”.

“While this action is unstable and unprecedented today, I cannot say that this action is unstable and unprecedented today, we are completely surprised,” “I can tell the DC residents that we will continue to operate our government in such a way that makes you proud.”

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The District Trump of the Colombia Home Rule Act allows the police department to keep the police department under federal control for 30 days. Bausar said that by providing DC State School, an issue has been repeatedly advocated by local authorities, can prevent acquisitions.

“If people are concerned about the President being able to transfer the national guard to our city, the time to do this would have been when the Congress had a bill that he could have given control of the DC National Guard to DC,” he said. “So there are things when a city is not a state, and is not completely autonomous, and there are no senators that the federal government can do.”

Other Democrats severely criticized the Trump administration for the move.

The office of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said, “If President Trump wants to help make Chicago safe, he can start by releasing funds for anti -violence programs that are important to reduce crime and violence for our work,” said by the office of Brandon Johnson of Chicago. “Sending to the National Guard will only work to destabilize our city and weaken our public safety efforts.”

Washington, DC City Council called temporary acquisition “infiltration built on local authority”.

Trump claims

The council said in a joint statement, “Violent crime in the district is at the lowest rates in 30 years. It is unfair to make the metropolitan police department federal because there is no federal emergency.” “Further, the National Guard has no public safety training or knowledge of local laws. The role of a guard does not involve investigating or resolving crimes in the district. Calling the National Guard is an unnecessary deployment with a real mission.”

The delegation of the National Capital Region, a body that included several house Democratic MPs, accused Trump of individually inciting crime in the capital, referring to the riots on 6 January 2021 in the US Capital Building.

The group said in a statement, “The Metropolitan Police Department’s intention of ‘temporary’ acquisition of Trump is not to prevent crime, it is a soft launch of totalitarianism.” “Trump has a long pattern to seek powerful performance of power. As he has repeatedly shown, Trump is working to serve himself and not worried about keeping American families safe in cities and towns of our country.”

“This morning the President’s declaration is an unmatched and unacceptable publicity stunt,” he said. “If he wants to reduce crime in Colombia district, he should focus on his Republican colleagues to receive his Republican colleagues in the Congress, which he arbitrarily excluded from the city budget, which cuts law enforcement and other public safety measures.”

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Randy Weeingrton, president of the American Federation of Teachers Union, distinguished Trump’s announcement “from the real circumstances on the gross overch, the ground.”

“So, we have to ask: Will the average DC resident feel safe for the President’s heavy show? Will it create jobs for working people and bring back the city’s businesses?” He said. “Will it provide the route of jobs, skills or other activities to the youth that keep them away from the streets?”

“The answer to those questions is ‘no’, he said.” That is why this step is another cross spectacle from a president who cares more about the King and play more about the safety of DC and his inhabitants. ,

Trump’s opponents have cited the crime data showing crime in Washington. According to MPD, the crime in Washington is 26% below this year compared to the same time frame in 2024. According to police data, attacks with a dangerous weapon are 20%below, and the murders are less than 12%. In January, justice department said Violent offense The district was 35% below 2023 in 2024, the lowest in 30 years.

However, Trump is disagreeed.

The data of the Metropolitan Police Department shows that when the homogeneous rate is falling, the largest number of murders have been observed since 2008 in the last five years.

Trump said on Monday, “Today the murder rate in Washington is higher than Bogota, Columbia, Mexico City, some places you hear as the worst places on Earth,” Trump said on Monday. “This is too high. The number of car theft has doubled in the last five years, and the number of causaling is more than three times. In 2023 murders have reached the highest rate, perhaps they say 25 years, but they don’t know what it means because it can go back only 25 years.”

Andrew Mark Miller of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.