Bill Barr: Trump 'right on the money' with DC police takeover

Former Attorney General Bill Barr said Tuesday that President Trump is “right on the money” with his takeover of the Washington, DC, police.

“And I think the president's right on the money, and I think Judge Pirro laid out the case very well, and I'm glad she's there, because she has the right idea of what needs to be done in this town,” Barr said on Fox News’s “America reports.

“As far as crime is concerned, the crime levels are much too high. If it was a state, it would have the highest murder rate in the — in the country. It competes to be the capi— or the crime capital of the country, not the capital of this great republic, among St. Louis and Memphis and Chicago in terms of the violence. That's not good enough. This place belongs to the American people, it's a symbol of our country, and we have to keep it safe,” the former attorney general added.

Barr’s praise for the president is notable due to the strained relationship he and Trump have had in recent years. 

Trump announced Monday he was taking federal control of D.C.’s police department and deploying the National Guard in the city in an effort to battle crime.

“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen anymore. We’re not going to take it,” the president said.

Democrats have slammed Trump’s recent DC moves, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) saying in a thread on the social platform X Monday that “Trump’s raw authoritarian power grab in DC is part of a growing national crisis.”

“He’s playing dictator in our nation’s capital as a dress rehearsal as he pushes democracy to the brink. This assault on freedom is exactly why we’ve fought for DC statehood & to give DC control of its National Guard,” Van Hollen added.