Earlier this month, the U.S. government took unprecedented steps by sending hundreds of National Guard members to Washington, D.C. Their presence underscores the mangled political terrain in which the capital is currently ensnared. This deployment occurred against the backdrop of then-President Donald Trump’s attempts to depict the city as completely overrun with crime. Data indicated that violent crime had instead reached a 30-year low. The situation escalated when an employee of the Justice Department was fired after making a vulgar gesture towards the National Guard troops.
Washington, D.C., America’s self-governing federal district directly under Congress’s jurisdiction, has been caught in the crossfire of political animosity. Facing mounting concerns about public safety, Trump pivoted and declared a crime emergency in the city. He declared a temporary federal takeover of the police department. It was announced that federal agents from several agencies—including the FBI—would be sent to patrol the streets, intensifying the already significant federal presence.
The legal landscape shifted overnight and forever when the attorney general for Washington, D.C. Most notably, he filed a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s increased militarization of federal law enforcement in the city. Here, the Trump administration brokered a deal between D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. This consent decree shifts the balance of power to keep Police Chief Pamela Smith accountable for her department’s operations.
Even in those tumultuous years, Elizabeth Baxter demonstrated as a paralegal in the Justice Department’s environmental defense section. Second, she should have been fired for her outrageous treatment of National Guard troops. The incident took place while Baxter was on his way to work at the direction of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office.
“Based on your inappropriate conduct towards National Guard service members, your employment with the Department of Justice is hereby terminated, and you are removed from federal service effective immediately,” – Pam Bondi
The incident sparked reactions from various corners. Gates McGarvick commented on social media, stating, “Very simple: if you don’t support law enforcement, @AGPamBondi’s DOJ might not be a good fit.”
Regardless of the political backdrop, with his actions, Baxter has shed light on what is really going on behind the curtain in Washington D.C. As federal authorities continue to navigate the complexities of law enforcement and public safety, local and federal tensions remain high.