The same U.S. attorney’s office that praised a drop in crime in the capital in April has begun an investigation into the Police Department resisting President Trump’s takeover.
City officials have challenged the rationale of such an aggressive assertion of power, noting that most major categories of crime have been falling since 2023.
The move appears to diminish the authority of the current deputy director, Dan Bongino, whose tumultuous tenure has included a pitched argument over files related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Trump administration has taken steps that have hobbled Washington’s efforts to reduce crime, such as gutting its U.S. attorney’s office and enacting budget cuts of more than $1 billion.
The attorney general cleared the way for the police to aid in immigration enforcement and named an “emergency” commissioner, setting the stage for a conflict with local authorities.
Troops appeared near the Washington Monument on Tuesday evening. But it remained unclear whether the eventual show of force would match the president’s apocalyptic rhetoric.
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, during a news conference on Monday. Ms. Bowser met with Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday to talk about President Trump’s takeover of the city’s police force.
Federal Park Police performed a traffic stop in Washington on Friday. President Trump has ordered federal law enforcement to help fight crime in the capital.
Deepening its purge, the bureau forced out Steven Jensen, whose ascent had angered Trump supporters, and Brian Driscoll, the acting director in the early chaotic days of the administration.
Such an investigation would have to overcome a number of legal and practical hurdles, but an order by Attorney General Pam Bondi asking for a grand jury inquiry in Florida accomplishes political objectives.
The decision by Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the “Russia Hoax” comes at a time of increasing pressure on the Trump administration to produce more information about the F.B.I.’s files on Jeffrey Epstein.
The former special counsel is being investigated for possible violations of the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan activities by federal employees. A G.O.P. senator had requested an inquiry over Mr. Smith’s prosecution of Donald Trump.
Jack Smith at a news conference in 2023, announcing the indictment of Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump’s allies have argued that Mr. Smith tried to influence the 2024 election.
A complaint concerning a top Justice Department official, Emil Bove III, went unnoticed for more than two months, raising worries that an internal watchdog has gone dormant.
As a top Justice Department official, Emil Bove III fired dozens of lawyers and agents without any stated cause, in seeming violation of civil service protections and longtime department practice.
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