House GOP launches probe into alleged D.C. crime data manipulation
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House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer during a hearing in D.C. in July . Photo: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) launched an investigation Monday into President Trump's allegations that D.C. crime data is being manipulated by local police leadership.
Why it matters: The action comes less than a week after the Justice Department announced a federal probe into the statistics.
- The Trump administration is facing escalating pushback over the president's decision to frame federal agents' involvement in D.C. as a public safety issue when violent crime in the city is at a 30-year low.
What they're saying: "A whistleblower with direct knowledge of internal MPD operations and crime data discussions also informed the Committee that crime statistics were allegedly manipulated on a widespread basis and at the direction of senior MPD officials," Comer wrote in a letter to Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith.
- "While MPD took action against a single District Commander, the issue potentially affects all seven patrol districts, as MPD leadership allegedly instructed Commanders to routinely downgrade charges to artificially lower District crime statistics."
Zoom in: Comer noted in his letter that D.C. police had suspended a commander, Michael Pulliam, for allegedly manipulating crime statistics.
- "Media accounts of the incident additionally noted that 'the [police] union claims police supervisors in the department manipulate crime data to make it appear violent crime has fallen considerably compared to last year,'" Comer wrote.
- His committee is requesting documents and transcribed interviews with the commanders of each of the seven patrol districts in D.C., including with Pulliam.
Zoom out: Trump has called the statistics released by the FBI "fake" to justify federal intervention in D.C. and his plans to intervene in other cities.
- The president has repeatedly said that he's interested in using D.C. as a "test" for operations in other cities and on Sunday raised the ire of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore when he threatened to send troops to Baltimore.
- Democratic leaders have raised concern over reports that he may target Chicago next.
- The president has also railed against Democratic-led cities such as Los Angeles, Oakland and New York, calling them "bad, very bad," even though violent crime is down in all of these cities.
Go deeper: Trump allegation that D.C. faked crime data spurs Justice Department probe
