Mayor Muriel Bowser did not hold back after a heated House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday.
“I thought the hearing was disgraceful in its characterization of the District,” Bowser said.
The mayor and other city leaders spent hours pushing back against Republican-backed bills aimed at reshaping D.C.’s criminal justice system and policing.
But while she testified, violence played out about three miles away. A 17-year-old was shot in the leg and managed to ride a bike toward the KIPP D.C. Wheeler Campus.
A bullet also grazed an adult.
READ MORE |
Republicans said scenes like that are far too common in the nation’s capital.
“Failed leadership, soft-on-crime policies, and rampant corruption have left D.C. more dangerous than war-torn Baghdad,” (R-AZ) Rep. Paul Gosar said.
Bowser countered by defending the city’s progress.
“Did the District have a crime spike in 2023? Yes. Have we driven down crime in the two years since? Yes,” she said. “To characterize the District as some dystopian hellhole is categorically false.”
Republicans pressed city leaders on the accuracy of crime data.
SEE ALSO |
“Before the surge, violent crime was down 26%. After the surge, violent crime was down 27%,” said D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, questioned Mendelson about how crimes are recorded and categorized.
“The head of the Fraternal Order of Police, Mr. (Gregg) Pemberton, said, ‘When our members respond to the scene of a felony offense, inevitably, there will be a lieutenant or a captain that will show up to the scene and direct those members to report for a lesser offense.’ Are you guys cooking the books?”
“I think we’re not, but I also know there are a couple of investigations run by this committee,” Mendelson replied.
Jordan pressed further: “Is Mr. Pemberton lying?”
“Yes,” said Mendelson.
“You think he’s lying? Wow,” Jordan said.
In a statement to 7News, Pemberton fired back: “I hope that Chairman Mendelson has time to correct or amend his testimony before he himself is investigated for perjury and lying to Congress.”
Despite the clashes, Bowser argued Congress should leave lawmaking to the city.
“The best way to deal with our laws is to do it locally,” she said. “The Congress is not really working with us on these issues; you can see how there are complications. Some of these laws would simply make it impossible for us to do business. It would make our city less safe.”