Sunflower State News

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas appeared on Fox Business’s The Evening Edit with Jason Chaffetz to discuss concerns about crime rates in Washington, D.C., and his support for President Trump’s recent federal intervention in the city.

During the interview, Marshall challenged claims that crime is decreasing in the capital. He stated, “Jason, it’s great to see you, my friend. Tell that to the 97 families who lost a loved one in the first six months of this year. Let me say that again, your nation’s capital. In the first six months, 97 people were murdered. That’s a person every other day on average. There are 8 violent crimes every day in DC, and one carjacking. You know, it’s appalling. So, think about this: 78 million people voted for President Trump to secure our border and make our nation safe again. I personally reached out to the president after one of my staffers was violently attacked and said, Mr. President, please do anything you can, so we’re grateful for President Trump taking the leadership here.”

Marshall also addressed comments from the District's Attorney General regarding arrests and crime reduction strategies: “Well, this is the same legacy media that said we couldn’t secure the border either, and President Trump did that. I think if there’s a significant law enforcement presence, that these crimes are going to go down again. Another one of my staff members, his car was parked in front of his apartment, just like six blocks from the Capitol, riddled with gunfire from a gang fight. Every week, I hear of some staff being hurt. We spent one of our steering committee meetings talking about what that was. What should we get our employees to protect themselves when they’re walking home? This is our nation’s capital, for crying out loud. This is where people bring their family, and you become a patriot, and it’s not safe to be here. So again, I’m just saluting President Trump. More power to him to do whatever it takes to secure our nation’s capital. Thanks, President Trump.”

On criticism that President Trump's move is meant as a distraction during an election year or otherwise politically motivated rather than focused on public safety outcomes or policy changes already underway by local authorities or Congress^{https://www.dc.gov/page/crime-statistics}, Marshall responded: “Yeah, Jason, I’m proud to be part of that distraction, helping President Trump with his agenda to make America safe again in this particular case. But look at what the Democrats stand for, is their psychological projection, projecting to others.… This is just another example of their lying. They lied to us about Joe Biden’s health, they lied to us about all things COVID, and they’re lying in this case again. President Trump is going to make our nation’s capital safe again, and I can’t wait.”

The discussion comes amid ongoing debates over how best to address public safety issues in Washington D.C., where both federal initiatives and local efforts have been scrutinized by lawmakers.