House Republicans panned Washington Democrats who say that “crime is down” in the District of Columbia by sharing a video of a recent blatant carjacking at the Navy Yard in broad daylight.
The Republican Conference in the U.S. House of Representatives shared the video to Twitter on Wednesday. The clip, which appears to have been originally shared in an online group titled “Navy Yard/Barracks Row/Cap Hill Community,” showed someone behind the wheel of a paralleled-parked Jeep ram the vehicle into the car at its front and then behind.
The person recording the video from a building window nearby showed a police vehicle on the street and officers seemingly trying to approach the suspect. But the driver backs up and then steers forward, slamming into another two parked cars on the opposite side of the street before peeling off with ease just blocks from the Capitol.
“‘ThErE iS nOt A cRiMe CrIsIs iN wAsHiNgToN, d.C.’ Democrat D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson,” the House GOP tweeted, mocking Mendelson’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. “Meanwhile, a carjacking was happening less than a mile away in WASHINGTON DC.”
In appearing before the committee, Mendelson insisted “there is not a crime crisis in Washington, D.C.“
“With regard to crime, yes, there is considerable concern. But while perception is important, the reality is less concerning. Let me be clear: People should feel safe, and it is a problem that many residents of the district don’t,” he told lawmakers. “I know this belies the common belief – and when it comes to crime, how people feel is important – but there is not a crime crisis in Washington, D.C.”
In response to the House GOP tweet, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., tweeted ironically, “Nothing to see here. Crime is down.”
“The radical DC City Council would rather coddle criminals than seriously tackle Washington’s crime crisis. This lack of action by the Council forced House Republicans to step in, lead the charge to reverse the city’s disastrous soft-on-crime criminal code, and safeguard our Nation’s capital,” D’Esposito’s office added in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“I’m counting the hours until I’m on a plane back to the Free & Safe State of Florida! It’s a shame to see criminals running roughshod in the nation’s capital with little to no accountability from the Democrat officials elected to keep its people safe,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., tweeted in response to the video.
“This is what happens when you support the ‘Defund the Police’ movement and soft-on-crime policies,” Rep. Mark Alford, R-Texas, added.
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“Think about how emboldened criminals have become in D.C. that they are willing to carjack a car in broad daylight, right in front of cops. D.C.’s elected officials’ incompetence have failed this entire city,” wrote Michele Perez Exner, who helps coordinate communication for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Another Twitter user remarked, “police looked helpless here. Why didn’t they shoot the tires? Would that have resulted in more gunfire or something?”
Mendelson was supporting D.C.’s policing reform bill that House Republicans have threatened to overturn through Congress’ authority to strike down city laws.
According to Mendelson’s written testimony, D.C.’s crime bill – passed as a response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 – “promotes police accountability by codifying our Use of Force Review Board, enhancing auditing capabilities, strengthening training requirements, and prohibiting the hiring of officers who have a history of misconduct. It also enhances our police chief’s ability to strengthen the force by firing officers who engage in egregious misconduct or commit serious offenses. If Congress tosses these measures aside, it will be a dramatic setback in the District’s efforts to address longstanding concerns about officer misconduct and make it harder to hold bad cops accountable.”
Striking down the bill would hamper efforts to promote accountability in the Metropolitan Police Department, Mendelson said.
Mendelson stated that crime in the district is lower so far in 2023 than at the same point in 2022, and he testified that “the number of violent crime incidents in 2022 was 45% lower than the number of violent crime incidents in 2012.”
“My message is clear: the state of Washington, DC is strong,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, tweeted Wednesday.
D.C. communications specialist Natalie Johnson shared the Navy Yard video in response.
“Meanwhile, today in Navy Yard. Thank god for our no-chase law, right @MayorBowser?” Johnson wrote to her more than 43,000 followers.
Fox News’ Thomas Phippen contributed to this report.