Free Republic

The U.S. attorney is one of the most consequential figures in the District of Columbia’s criminal justice system. Washington might soon learn that lesson firsthand after Donald Trump’s eventual choice for the role — that is, his handpicked sheriff — assumes the reins from U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. This week, Graves announced that he will officially step down on Jan. 16, four days before Trump steps up to take the oath of office.A cautious and understated prosecutor, Graves will leave with numerous accomplishments under his belt. His targeting of repeat offenders has paid off with reductions in gun- and...

Richard W. Collins III, fatally stabbed last weekend on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus, was as innocent as the 22 victims slain in the Manchester suicide bombing on Monday. Collins, an African American, newly commissioned U.S. Army officer from Maryland, was, like the victims of the Manchester, England, massacre, not bothering anybody. Slated to graduate from Bowie State University this week, Collins was simply out with friends enjoying himself. So, too, were those killed and wounded in Manchester. Authorities are investigating Collins’s death, allegedly at the hands of a knife-wielding University of Maryland student, Sean Urbanski, as a...

When we talk about growing violence in America’s larger cities we frequently focus on New York and Baltimore. (And for good reason, to be honest.) But the nation’s capital has been experiencing its own problems along those lines lately. A rather chilling recounting of some of these “local stories” provides the backdrop for a recent op-ed column in the WaPo by Colbert I. King. I’ll confess that some of the stories of violence and mayhem King is talking about were completely unknown to me, leading the author to compare Washington to “the wild west.” One example is the case where...

Are PUMAs racist? The Washington Post's Colbert I. King seems to suggest so in his column of today, "A Suicidal Choice for Clinton Supporters." King delivers a laundry list of reasons why, in his opinion, it makes no sense for Hillary fans to support McCain. Since there is apparently no rational justification for good Dems to desert Obama, by process of elimination he suggests that a base motivation is in play. Here's King's punch line [emphasis added]: "So what's drawing Hillary Clinton's die-hard fans to John McCain? Is the attraction only skin-deep?