Efe Ozkan
12 August 2025•Update: 12 August 2025
ISTANBUL
US President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police force is fueled by an attack on a former DOGE employee and Trump’s own observations on homelessness, according to media reports.
On Aug. 5, Trump had threatened the federalization move after 19-year-old former DOGE worker Edward Coristine and another person were assaulted in an attempted carjacking on August 3, according to a DC Police Department incident report obtained by CNN.
“Somebody from DOGE was very badly hurt last night. You saw that. A young man who was beaten up by a bunch of thugs in D.C.,” Trump was quoted by CNN as saying.
“And either they're going to straighten their act out in terms of government and terms of protection, or we're going to have to federalize and run it the way it's supposed to be run,” he told reporters.
Besides the assault of Coristine, the federalization move was also due to his own observations of homeless encampments and roadside debris, some photos of which he posted on American social media company Truth Social over the weekend, a White House official said.
“This dire public safety crisis stems directly from the abject failures of the city’s local leadership,” Trump said during a press briefing announcing the takeover. “We’re going to do it right. We’re going to get it done quickly.”
Brian Schwalb, the D.C. attorney general who is elected independently of the mayor, immediately condemned the takeover, calling it "unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful."
“There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia,” he said in a statement that noted violent crime reached three-decade lows in 2024 and is trending downward again this year. “We are considering all of our options and will do what’s necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents.”
On Monday, Trump announced that he would put local police under federal control and deploy 800 National Guard troops to deal with the "public safety emergency."
He claimed Washington "has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals" and declared Monday "liberation day in D.C."
"This is liberation day in DC, and we're going to take our capital back," Trump said, adding that more troops could be deployed to the city "if needed."
