Even as President Donald Trump and Republicans complain about the District of Columbia’s criminal justice system, critics argue that the Republican-led Congress may bear some of the blame for D.C.’s trouble, particularly since it holds enormous influence over everything from the city’s budget to whether it confirms its judges.
During his announcement Monday that he was taking over the Metropolitan Police Department and sending in the National Guard, Trump blamed the city’s “radical left” council and other leadership for his false claims of increased crime. “This dire public safety crisis stems directly from the abject failures of the city’s local leadership,” he said, citing the District’s policy of no-cash bail and its local juvenile offender laws.
But the D.C. Council, created through federal law, passes criminal statutes that can be overturned by Congress.
