United States President Donald Trump has announced that he is placing the nation’s capital under direct federal control and will be sending in the US National Guard.
At a press conference on Monday, Trump announced it was “liberation day” in DC, claiming a crime spree that is not supported by evidence.
“I’m officially invoking Section 740, of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. You know what that is, and placing the DC Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control,” he said.
“I’m deploying the National Guard to help re-establish law, order and public safety in Washington, DC. They’re going to be allowed to do their job properly.”
Hundreds of officers and agents from over a dozen federal agencies, including the FBI, ICE, DEA, and ATF, have already fanned out across the city in recent days.
Trump said that under the newly declared “public safety emergency”, Attorney General Pam Bondi is taking control of Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department.
Critics have said the plan would trample on the rights of residents in a city where advocates have for decades pushed for more autonomy, including statehood.
More to come…