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The Press Is Lying About D.C. Crime
Issues & Insights ^ | 13 Aug, 2025 | I & I Editorial Board

Posted on 08/14/2025 5:48:03 AM PDT by MtnClimber

We’ve come to expect that no matter what President Donald Trump says or does these days, the mainstream press will rush out to say he’s wrong. So, we weren’t the least bit surprised when, after Trump said crime in the nation’s capital is out of control and called in the National Guard, news outlets immediately dismissed his claims.

But who is doing the lying here?

Crime in D.C. “is getting worse, not getting better,” Trump said. Nonsense, came the chorus of press reports, with headlines such as:

- “Fact check: Violent crime in DC has fallen in 2024 and 2025 after a 2023 spike” said CNN.

- “Trump Takes Control of D.C. Police, Citing ‘Bloodthirsty Criminals.’ But Crime Is Down.” said the New York Times.

- “FACT FOCUS: Trump exaggerates, misstates facts on Washington crime” said AP.

The implicit message is that Trump is making up a crime problem to flex his authoritarian muscles.

These and countless other stories all cite the same set of police department statistics showing the rate of violent crime in D.C. on the downtrend.

So, case closed, right?

Not so fast. Just a few weeks ago, the local NBC affiliate reported that:

A D.C. police commander is under investigation for allegedly making changes to crime statistics in his district.

The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Michael Pulliam was placed on paid administrative leave in mid-May … 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.

Also in July, The Hill ran an op-ed by Michael Murphy, who is considering a run for city council, pointing out that the city has started reporting some crimes, such as “assault with a dangerous weapon,” as a “felony threat,” which doesn’t get counted as a violent crime. Voila, violent crime rates in the city started falling.

I have learned that systematic undercharging is fueling some portion of these so-called declines in violent crime. In short, a manipulation of the crime statistics is causing them not to align with reality, which helps explain why people in Washington don’t feel safe …

These concerns are not solely my own. On May 22, Greg Pemberton, head of the D.C. Police Union, stated that the department ‘is past its breaking point.’

‘To evade public scrutiny, MPD leadership is deliberately falsifying crime data, creating a false narrative of reduced crime while communities suffer,’ he added.

Then there’s the fact that the head of the D.C. police union praised Trump’s takeover of law enforcement.

“We stand with the president in recognizing that Washington, D.C., cannot continue on this trajectory,” said union chair Gregg Pemberton. “Crime is out of control, and our officers are stretched beyond their limits.”

By ignoring all this, the press is knowingly spreading misinformation about what is happening in the city as part of its own campaign to brand Trump a liar.

This is hardly the first time the media have sheepishly fallen for phony crime statistics when it suited their political agenda.

Last year, we noted in this space how the press was “fact checking” Trump on national crime statistics during the presidential campaign. Then it was FBI crime statistics that, like the D.C. numbers, appeared to show a drop in violent crime.

But, as we said, the claim was “wildly misleading … It’s based on the number of crimes plugged into the FBI’s ‘Uniform Crime Reporting’ database, which not every police department contributes to – a situation made worse after the FBI changed its reporting system in 2021.”

We informed readers that the separate Bureau of Justice Statistics’ survey of crime victimization showed the opposite – the number of victims of violent crime was 41% higher in 2023 than in 2020. (See: The Media’s Criminal Misreporting on Crime.)

We are beginning to wonder if there is anything the public can trust the media to report accurately when it comes to Trump.


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: crime; dc; gaslighting; leftism; lying; media; msm; r

1 posted on 08/14/2025 5:48:03 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

The left is losing their minds over this.


2 posted on 08/14/2025 5:48:16 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

As I posted the other day in another thread: If Trump pointed up and said the sky was blue, the MSM would be on air claiming he was wrong.


3 posted on 08/14/2025 5:51:04 AM PDT by aklurker
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To: aklurker

When the MSM is sleeping, they are dreaming about lying.


4 posted on 08/14/2025 5:52:24 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Yep, exposing themselves as the POS criminals they are. LIARS.


5 posted on 08/14/2025 5:52:25 AM PDT by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
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To: PGalt

Yabut they’ve exposed themselves for decades. They don’t care.


6 posted on 08/14/2025 5:54:34 AM PDT by Lazamataz (I'm so on fire that I feel the need to stop, drop, and roll!)
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To: MtnClimber

Bkmk


7 posted on 08/14/2025 5:55:52 AM PDT by sauropod
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To: Lazamataz

No they don’t.


8 posted on 08/14/2025 5:59:14 AM PDT by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
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To: MtnClimber

The media is lying about Black crime in DC


9 posted on 08/14/2025 6:01:53 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. +12) Where is ZORRO when California so desperately needs him?)
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To: MtnClimber

Most criminals are ‘Rats.


10 posted on 08/14/2025 6:06:23 AM PDT by Paladin2 (YMMV)
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To: MtnClimber

If the MSM believes its own BS, take all of those reporters, dress them in evening wear, and turn them out on the street at 9PM and make them walk around DC until dawn. Any bets on how many get mugged or don’t survive the night?


11 posted on 08/14/2025 6:17:19 AM PDT by econjack
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To: MtnClimber

“Violent crime in DC has fallen in 2024 and 2025 after a 2023 spike”

I think the “2023 spike” deserves some consideration. I think we should go back further for perspective. It’s not always about the latest news.

DC murders fell during Trump’s first term. Murders rose in the Biden years. Murders are again falling with Trump in office. I think that is the important unreported story.


12 posted on 08/14/2025 6:55:23 AM PDT by ChessExpert (Infidels of the world unite against the evil that is Islam.)
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To: MtnClimber

Some restaurants have a secret code knock for the back door so regulars avoid the front door line target issue.


13 posted on 08/14/2025 7:29:09 AM PDT by cnsmom
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To: MtnClimber

But we already know that and knew it for a long time. You can’t bring in 21 million, illegal alien, freeloading foreigners and not expect crime NOT TO SKYROCKET.


14 posted on 08/14/2025 7:48:40 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (They brought down the WTC now we're electing them to all government positions in the U.S.)
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To: MtnClimber
Remember the 2024 campaign stop President Trump made in the Bronx barbershop? Just to listen to what the brothers there had to say. Now picture Mr. Trump visiting an AME Zion church. Telling the gathered community leaders that not only do black lives matter, they are precious. As he calls on them to join him in making the hoods safer.

The left will be dragged screaming into being against safer hoods. Priceless.

15 posted on 08/14/2025 9:22:35 AM PDT by Kudsman (Hey,, Democrat, leave them kids alone!)
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