Lies, Damn Lies, And The Media

If you have been following the news, you know that the Leftists are having fainting vapors over Trump's decision to crack down on crime in the District of Columbia. For instance, here are a few articles from the Associated Press:

• "FACT FOCUS: Trump exaggerates, misstates facts on Washington crime."
• "Trump’s takeover of Washington law enforcement begins as National Guard troops arrive."
• "Trump’s rhetoric about DC echoes a history of racist narratives about urban crime." 

 The foregoing articles make three basic point:

1. Crime rates have, overall, fallen in Washington, D.C., over the past two years and therefore, the "journalists" argue, the President is making much ado over nothing (as if the crime rates being slightly less horrible makes them something to be proud of); 
2. Trump's actions are racist because, although not expressly stated, the crimes are mostly committed by Blacks; and this means that enforcement efforts will primarily target Blacks; and,
3. Orange Man bad.  

    The media are mostly Leftists who, by their nature, hate anyone that tells them "no" so point #3 can be ignored. As I and many others have documented over the years, crime--particularly violent crime--is disproportionately committed by minorities (see, e.g., my 2016 post "The Color of Crime"). Thus, point #2 is just gas lighting.

    But even point #1, that crime has been falling, is a lie--or, at the least, it cannot be determined--because D.C.'s crime statistics have been doctored. The NBC affiliate for Washington D.C. reported on July 18, 2025, that "DC police commander suspended, accused of changing crime statistics." That article relates (bold added):

    The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Michael Pulliam was placed on paid administrative leave in mid-May. That happened just a week after Pulliam filed an equal employment opportunity complaint against an assistant chief and the police union accused the department of deliberately falsifying crime data, according to three law enforcement sources familiar with the complaint.

    The union claims police supervisors in the department manipulate crime data to make it appear violent crime has fallen considerably compared to last year.

    Pulliam — the former commander of the 3rd District that patrols Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights — was placed on leave with pay and told he was under investigation for questionable changes to crime data, five law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told News4.

* * *

    Union officials said there is a larger trend of manipulating crime statistics. 

    “When our members respond to the scene of a felony offense where there is a victim reporting that a felony occurred, inevitably there will be a lieutenant or a captain that will show up on that scene and direct those members to take a report for a lesser offense,” Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Gregg Pemberton said. “So, instead of taking a report for a shooting or a stabbing or a carjacking, they will order that officer to take a report for a theft or an injured person to the hospital or a felony assault, which is not the same type of classification.” 

In short, there is no reason to trust anything the AP or other leftist news organizations are "reporting" about this matter.