President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered federal law enforcement officers to patrol Washington, D.C., as Stephen Miller claimed crime in the capital was “more violent than Baghdad.”
The White House announced that additional officers would be on the streets of D.C. from midnight in what would reportedly begin as a seven-day operation in a bid to clamp down on crime.
“It’s our capital city, it is more violent than Baghdad, it is more violent than parts of Ethiopia and parts of many of the most dangerous places in the world,” White House deputy chief of staff Miller told NewsNation Thursday.
Trump has been threatening to federalize the capital all week following an attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer, Edward Coristine.
Trump re-posted the bloodied photo of Coristine on Truth Social Thursday evening and addressed him directly in his post. “Edward: The Crime situation in Washington, just like our Southern Border where ZERO Illegals entered in the last three months, will be a safe place very soon,” Trump wrote. “Thank you for your bravery and heart. Stay tuned!”
Additional support will come from the D.C. National Guard, FBI, U.S. Marshals, ICE, U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, according to CBS.
“Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday. “President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.”
The crackdown in D.C. will reportedly focus on tourist areas and other busy hotspots.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser approved the White House’s request, received overnight Wednesday, to bolster the capital’s law enforcement presence, according to CBS, citing an official in the mayor’s office.
This is a developing story, more follows
