WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump federalizing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and deploying the National Guard in the District of Columbia:
“Federalizing the MPD and sending the National Guard into the streets of D.C. will not make the District’s 700,000 residents safer. The best way to improve public safety is to fund and support programs that build trust, accountability, and transparency between communities and law enforcement, not by taking inflammatory actions that erode the public’s trust and create fear and chaos.
“If Donald Trump wanted to make D.C. safer, he wouldn’t have pardoned the Jan. 6 criminals who violently assaulted law enforcement officers who were defending our nation’s Capitol. He wouldn’t have siphoned $1 billion from the District’s budget, undercutting programs that support police and improve public safety.
“This power grab by Trump isn’t about D.C. crime rates—which have been falling—or improving public safety. Using U.S. military forces to enforce a policy agenda on American soil is a gross abuse of power that reeks of authoritarianism. Donald Trump continues to trample on Americans’ rights, the separation of powers, and the rule of law. This is a moment where every American who cares about our country and its ideals cannot stand by–it is a moment where we all must stand up for our democracy.”