Overview

• President Trump invoked emergency authority under the D.C. Home Rule Act to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department with over 1,000 National Guard members and federal agents in a so-called “Liberation Day” operation.
• Federal crime statistics show Washington, D.C., is at a 30-year low in violent crime, contradicting administration claims that the capital is ‘‘infested’’ with criminal activity.
• Conservative adviser Scott Jennings defended the intervention on CNN, recounting a Union Station killing and asserting there have been more than 100 arrests since August 7.
• Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky and other opponents argue the move is a political power grab, highlighting Trump’s refusal to mobilize the Guard during the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
• Local officials and civil-liberties groups have initiated legal challenges to the emergency order, contending that sustained federal control over D.C. policing exceeds statutory limits.