On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise), fresh off his announcement of running for U.S. Senate, praised President Donald Trump's efforts to address rampant crime in Washington, D.C.
Trump's "Liberation Day" executive order earlier this week placed the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and activated the National Guard to address violent crime in the nation's capital.
Moore said during an interview with "NewsNation Now" that Trump was "doing the right thing" in cleaning up D.C. because the capital attracts so many visitors from around the country and the world.
"I think it starts certainly with local elected officials, and the policy in D.C., as the city council continues to tie the police officers' hands, then they have trouble hitting recruitment goals. And so, we've seen crime escalate in a number of blue cities," Moore explained. "And you know, the left always says, you know, we're going to disarm citizens and defund the police, and that just really makes victims of those communities the very voters that supported those folks. And so, you know, I think that it starts with leadership. I think President Trump's doing the right thing in Washington, D.C., and then it certainly starts with local communities supporting law enforcement. So, whatever we can do from a leadership standpoint and encourage city councils, county commissions, whatever that looks like, to support your local law enforcement, and then get the DAs ... that actually put a punishment that fits the crime and not let people back out."
"In Washington, D.C, the federal government is actually in control," he continued. "That is our area of purview. And I think the president is doing the right thing. It is the nation's capital, and people come from all over the world, constituents come to visit, and when you can't walk down the street alone at night, or if you have a drive-by shooting when you think you're in a safe area, those are the kinds of things that the nation's capital ..."
Host Connell McShane interrupted Moore to clarify if that was a D.C. issue or should be expanded to other states.
"No, I don't think that we necessarily need to look at expanding to other states. I think to this point, we need to encourage local elected officials to do their job to support law enforcement in that region," Moore replied.
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