White House, Congress Probe Alleged Manipulation of D.C. Crime Data

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Monday that federal investigators have uncovered what he called a "massive scandal" within the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department, alleging that murders and other homicides were systematically reclassified as accidents to make the city’s crime rate appear lower. Miller told reporters the Justice Department is leading the review and promised that forthcoming findings would “stun” the public. He credited President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and intensify federal oversight of policing in the capital, claiming the measures have produced 12 consecutive days without a homicide and more than 1,000 arrests. Miller also said the crackdown has “freed” the city’s roughly 700,000 residents from what he described as control by violent criminal networks. On Capitol Hill, the House Oversight Committee confirmed it has opened a parallel inquiry after a whistleblower alleged that senior D.C. police leaders ordered subordinates to manipulate crime statistics. Records reviewed by the Washington Post indicate the panel is seeking internal communications and data that could substantiate the reported reclassification of violent offenses. District officials have not been quoted in the materials released Monday. If the allegations are confirmed, misreporting crime data would violate both federal and local disclosure laws and could expose city leadership to legal and political repercussions, while bolstering the administration’s push to replicate its policing strategy in other major U.S. cities.