Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles

Jogger in Washington, D.C., tells National Guard troops they should be patrolling a crime-ridden area of the city

The feds and D.C. police have not provided a 'full picture about who has been arrested, where, for what and by whom'

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)

What happened

The Trump administration has instructed prosecutors in Washington, D.C., to seek maximum criminal charges against people caught up in President Donald Trump's federal clampdown in the capital, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office told Reuters Tuesday. At the same time, prosecutors in Pirro's office have been "instructed not to seek felony charges against people who are carrying rifles or shotguns" in the city, The Washington Post said, even as the White House "boasts of seizing dozens of guns" as part of Trump's D.C. operation.

Who said what

The Justice Department Tuesday said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there Aug. 7, including 206 people nabbed for being in the U.S. illegally. But neither the feds nor the D.C. Metropolitan Police have provided a "full picture about who has been arrested, where, for what and by whom," leaving a "black hole" that makes it difficult to assess the efficacy of the operation, The Washington Post said. In the same two weeks last year, "D.C. police alone made 667 arrests."

Local officials have "criticized the aggressive intervention in the city's affairs," noting that violent crime in D.C. was already at its lowest level in 30 years, though Pirro's office Tuesday "opened an investigation into whether police officials have falsified crime data," The Associated Press said. Meanwhile, the surge of federal agents and National Guard troops has "rippled through the city," leaving "abnormally quiet" streets. "The city is dead," restaurateur Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld told the Post.

What next?

National Guard members from Republican-led states "began arriving in Washington" Tuesday to "assist in the crackdown," and hundreds more are on their way, the AP said. But it's "unclear what kind of help the National Guard will be able to provide when it comes to crime." So far, "Army officials appear to be trying to keep the troops on the sidelines of the mission," said The New York Times, but "the answers to even basic questions, including whether they will be armed, have shifted" by the day.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.