Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has met with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Additional Department of Justice officials attended the meeting with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
They include US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of US Marshals Gadyaces Serralta and Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrance Cole, whom President Donald Trump has tapped as interim federal Commissioner of the DC Metropolitan Police Department
This came as national guard troops arrived at their headquarters in the capital. The show of force came after Trump announced that he was sending the National Guard into the capital and putting city police under federal control, even though the violent crime rate is at a 30-year low.
Trump took command of the Washington DC police department and deployed the national guard under laws and constitutional powers that give the federal government more sway over the nation’s capital than other cities.
However, Democrats raised concerns that Washington DC could be a blueprint for similar strong-arm tactics elsewhere
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Mayor Muriel Bowser said that she’s focused on maximizing the surge of federal law enforcement ordered by President Donald Trump rather than dwelling on the circumstances surrounding the situation.
“What I’m focused on is the federal surge and how to make the most of the additional officer support that we have. We have the best in the business in (the Metropolitan Police Department) in Chief Pamela Smith to lead that effort and to make sure that the men and women who are coming from federal law enforcement are being well used … all in an effort to drive down crime.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser
The Mayor added that no matter “how we got here or what we think about the circumstances, right now we have more police and we want to make sure we’re using them.”
Bowser also said that Attorney General Pam Bondi will be serving as Trump’s proxy to implement his order.
“The executive order is clear. The President has requested MPD services, and our Home Rule Charter outlines the process. The President designated Attorney General Bondi as his proxy to request services through me.”
Mayor Muriel Bowser
Bowser noted that the organizational chart of how her office and the Metropolitan Police Department work together will remain unchanged.
On her part, Attorney General Pam Bondi released a statement on X following her meeting with Bowser.
Bondi said in the statement that she and Bowser agreed to keep tourists and residents in the city safe from “deadly crime” and that they will continue to work closely together to carry out the President’s orders.
However, there is no additional clarity on leadership structure or missions of the federal intervention.
Meanwhile, Washington, DC, council member, Brooke Pinto said that deploying the National Guard is “not the answer” to reducing crime in the city, as local leaders and Democrats push back on the Trump administration’s enforcement crackdown.
Pinto also voiced support for Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Police Chief Pamela Smith during an interview, urging them to make sure that the administration’s takeover of city resources “doesn’t last longer than 30 days,” as outlined in the President’s executive order.
Pinto said of the elevated federal law enforcement presence, “If these folks are going to be here in addition to our city, we want to make sure it is helpful to our efforts of crime fighting and not harmful.”
During the interview, Pinto also acknowledged crime concerns with pushback on what she characterized as a heavy-handed response from the Trump administration
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