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FBI Director Kash Patel backs Trump’s DC police takeover: ‘When you let good cops be cops, they deliver’
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FBI Director Kash Patel endorsed President Donald Trump’s plans to take over the Metropolitan Police Department to tackle crime in Washington D.C., amid heavy criticism from Democrats and local officials who say the move is part of a power grab.
Patel was seen Monday afternoon inside a command post for the first night of the temporary takeover in a show of support for law enforcement.
«Proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the men and women who keep our nation’s capital safe,» Patel said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. «When you let good cops be cops, give them the tools they need, and back them every step of the way, they deliver – every time.»
In photos exclusively provided to Fox News Digital, Patel can be seen speaking Monday to FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel wearing protective vests at a command center at a U.S. Park Police station.
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FBI Director Kash Patel with FBI agents in Washington, D.C. on August 11 outside the Park Police Station, the command center for the Trump administration’s new crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital. (Courtesy: FBI, exclusively provided to Fox News Digital)
On Monday, Trump said he would federalize the police department and place it under the authority of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in an effort to address crime. He also said he was activating approximately 800 National Guard troops to «reestablish law, order and public safety» in the capital.
Washington D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser called the move «unsettling and unprecedented.»
«While this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can’t say that given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we’re totally surprised,» Bowser said during a news conference. «I can say to D.C. residents that we will continue to operate our government in a way that makes you proud.»
TRUMP’S PLAN TO DEPLOY NATIONAL GUARD IN DC SPARKS BACKLASH FROM RESIDENTS—BUT SOME WELCOME IT
The District of Columbia Home Rule Act allows Trump to place the city’s police department under federal control for up to 30 days. Bowser noted that granting D.C. statehood, an issue local officials have repeatedly advocated for, could have prevented the takeover.
«If people are concerned about the president being able to move the National Guard into our city, the time to do that would have been when the Congress had a bill that it could have given control of the D.C. National Guard to D.C.,» she said. «So there are things that, when a city is not a state, and not fully autonomous, and doesn’t have senators, that the federal government can do.»
FBI Director Kash Patel with FBI agents in Washington, D.C. as the Trump administration prepares to take over D.C. police. (Courtesy: FBI, exclusively provided to Fox News Digital)
Other Democrats heavily criticized the Trump administration for the move.
«If President Trump wants to help make Chicago safer, he can start by releasing the funds for anti-violence programs that have been critical to our work to drive down crime and violence,» the office of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said. «Sending in the national guard would only serve to destabilize our city and undermine our public safety efforts.»
The Washington, D.C. City Council called the temporary takeover a «manufactured intrusion on local authority.»
TRUMP CLAIMS DC CRIMES TROUNCE STATS FROM NOTORIOUSLY VIOLENT CITIES WORLDWIDE
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington as from left, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, look on. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
«Violent crime in the District is at the lowest rates we’ve seen in 30 years. Federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department is unwarranted because there is no Federal emergency,» the council said in a joint statement. «Further, the National Guard has no public safety training or knowledge of local laws. The Guard’s role does not include investigating or solving crimes in the District. Calling out the National Guard is an unnecessary deployment with no real mission.»
The National Capital Region Delegation, a body comprised of several House Democratic lawmakers, accused Trump of personally inciting crime in the capital, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol building.
FBI Director Kash Patel spoke with FBI agents as the Trump administration federalizes the Metropolitan Police Department. (Courtesy: FBI, exclusively provided to Fox News Digital)
«Trump’s ‘temporary’ takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department is not intended to prevent crime, it is a soft launch of authoritarianism,» the group said in a statement. «Trump has a longstanding pattern of seeking showy displays of power. As he has shown repeatedly, Trump is working to serve himself and is not concerned with keeping American families safe in cities and towns across our country.»
«The President’s announcement this morning is an unserious and unacceptable publicity stunt,» they added. «If he wants to reduce crime in the District of Columbia, he should focus on getting his Republican allies in Congress to restore the funding they arbitrarily stripped out of the city’s budget, which risks cuts to law enforcement and other public safety measures.»
FBI Director Kash Patel with FBI agents in Washington, D.C. on August 11 outside the Park Police Station, the command center for the Trump administration’s new crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital. (Courtesy: FBI, exclusively provided to Fox News Digital)
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Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers union, called Trump’s announcement a «gross overreach, disconnected from actual conditions on the ground.»
«So, we have to ask: Will the president’s heavy-handed show of force make the average D.C. resident feel safer? Will it create jobs for working people and bring patrons back to downtown businesses?» she said. «Will it provide young people a pathway to jobs, skills or other activities that keep them off the streets?»
FBI Director Kash Patel met with agents before the DC police takeover. (Courtesy: FBI, exclusively provided to Fox News Digital)
«The answer to those questions is ‘no,’ she added. «That’s why this move is yet another crass spectacle from a president who cares more about targeting, intimidating and playing king than the safety of D.C. and its residents.»
Trump’s opponents have cited crime statistics showing crime in Washington is on the decline. Crime in Washington is down 26% this year compared to the same timeframe in 2024, according to the MPD. Assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 20%, and homicides are down by 12%, according to police data. In January, the Justice Department said violent crime in 2024 in the district was down 35% from 2023, the lowest it has been in over 30 years.
However, Trump disagrees.
Metropolitan Police Department data shows that while the homicide rate is falling, the last five years saw the greatest number of murders since 2008.
«The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogota, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on Earth, much higher,» Trump said Monday. «This is much higher. The number of car thefts has doubled over the past five years, and the number of carjackings has more than tripled. Murders in 2023 reached the highest rate, probably ever. They say 25 years, but they don’t know what that means because it just goes back 25 years can’t be worse.»
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
kash patel,donald trump,washington dc,us,justice department,crime world,police and law enforcement
INTERNACIONAL
Ataque armado en Ecuador: sicarios con indumentaria militar asesinaron a seis personas en plena vía pública
Seis personas fueron asesinadas el domingo en Guayaquil, Ecuador, durante un ataque armado perpetrado por sujetos que vestían prendas similares a las de uso militar, informó este lunes la Policía Nacional. El hecho se registró en el sector de Monte Sinaí, en el distrito Nueva Prosperina, al noroeste de la ciudad, una de las zonas con mayores índices de violencia del país.
Según las autoridades, los atacantes llegaron a bordo de varias camionetas y abrieron fuego contra personas que se encontraban en la vía pública. Otras seis resultaron heridas y fueron trasladadas a centros de salud. Hasta el momento, no se ha reportado la captura de los responsables.
Tras el ataque, la Policía y las Fuerzas Armadas desplegaron operativos en la zona durante la noche. “Las unidades especializadas están levantando todos los indicios que permitan ubicar y capturar a los causantes de este hecho violento”, indicó la institución policial en un comunicado.
El suceso se produce en un contexto de escalada de violencia que ha sacudido a la provincia de Guayas. Horas antes, durante la madrugada del domingo, ocho personas fueron asesinadas y tres resultaron heridas frente a la discoteca Nápoles, en el municipio de Santa Lucía, también perteneciente a Guayas.
En este caso, testigos señalaron que hombres armados que se movilizaban en dos camionetas llegaron al lugar, dispararon contra quienes se encontraban fuera del establecimiento y luego huyeron. Siete personas murieron en el sitio y una más falleció en un centro médico. Las víctimas tenían entre 22 y 40 años.
La Policía confirmó que entre los fallecidos se encuentra Jorge Luis Urquizo, hermano del alcalde de Santa Lucía, Ubaldo Urquizo. Era propietario de la discoteca donde ocurrió el ataque. Sin embargo, las autoridades aclararon que aún no pueden determinar si el hecho estuvo dirigido contra él o si fue parte de un enfrentamiento entre bandas criminales que operan en la zona.
La ola de violencia no se limitó a Guayas. El viernes, en la provincia de El Oro, se registró otro ataque armado contra varias embarcaciones pesqueras en altamar. El hecho dejó cuatro muertos y seis heridos.
Guayas y El Oro son dos de las cuatro provincias bajo estado de excepción desde el miércoles pasado, medida decretada por el presidente Daniel Noboa ante el incremento de la criminalidad.
Noboa también declaró en 2024 un “conflicto armado interno” para enfrentar a las bandas del crimen organizado, principalmente dedicadas al narcotráfico, pero que han expandido sus operaciones hacia la extorsión, los secuestros y la minería ilegal.
Pese a estas medidas, la violencia no ha cedido. Datos oficiales señalan que Ecuador cerró el primer semestre de 2025 con 4.619 homicidios, la cifra más alta de su historia para ese periodo y un 47 % más que en el mismo lapso de 2024, cuando se registraron 3.143 asesinatos.
La provincia de Guayas, cuya capital es Guayaquil, ha sido uno de los epicentros de esta crisis. Su ubicación estratégica para el comercio marítimo ha sido aprovechada por grupos criminales para el tráfico de drogas hacia mercados internacionales. Estas organizaciones han protagonizado una serie de ataques armados, masacres carcelarias y atentados contra autoridades y ciudadanos, generando un clima de inseguridad sin precedentes.
La Policía ha señalado que mantiene investigaciones abiertas para identificar a los responsables de la masacre de Monte Sinaí y de los hechos en Santa Lucía, así como para determinar si existe conexión entre estos ataques. Mientras tanto, en ambas localidades continúa la presencia militar y policial como parte de las acciones para contener la violencia.
(Con información de EFE)
INTERNACIONAL
Gov. Abbot still beat Newsom in disaster relief despite Texas Democrats stalling, hiding out
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Despite Democratic lawmakers fleeing and holding up vital relief efforts, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s flood relief was faster than California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s response to the L.A. wildfires.
This weekend, Abbott helped to present more than 60 of the families most impacted by the catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country with $25,000 relief checks, which the governor called an initial «down payment» on the relief still incoming.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott explained the funds were a result of Texas partnering with country music legend George Strait and other private groups to ensure that funds raised by the star went straight to those who suffered the worst damage.
Abbott said that both he and Strait agreed there is a «need for speed to help these people as quickly as possible.»
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott explained the funds were a result of Texas partnering with country music legend George Strait and other private groups to ensure that funds raised by the star went straight to those who suffered the worst damages. (Erika Goldring/WireImage and Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«We’ve seen in other states when there’s been travesties that occurred there, like the fires in California, and so much money was raised and never has gotten to the people who needed it, we want to make sure that did not happen in the state of Texas,» Abbott explained.
«There has been an outpouring of support to Texas organizations to help the people of this state,» he added. «Now our job is to make sure it gets into the hands of the people who need it the most.»
This comes just over a month after much of central Texas suffered a devastating flood that killed over 100 and decimated homes and businesses.
In response to the suffering, Strait, a Texas native, held a concert on July 27 to raise funds for those most impacted. Just two weeks later, victims are already receiving relief checks from the concert.
Abbott said that Strait was insistent that «he was doing this for one reason, because he was sick and tired of the people who’ve been damaged and harmed the most by the storm are not getting the money they need.»
CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES REDISTRICTING FIGHT TO ‘NULLIFY’ TEXAS GOP PLAN, WITH DEMS POISED TO GAIN 5 SEATS
HUNT, TEXAS – JULY 6: Search and rescue workers dig through debris looking for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding on July 6, 2025 in Hunt, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas with multiple fatalities reported. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
«So, what we did we set up an operation to make sure we were able to identify who sustained the worst damage, then make sure that they would be on the receiving end of these checks,» he explained.
Strait’s concert closely resembles a similar star-studded benefit concert, titled «FireAid,» in California that raised more than $100 million for victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles.
FireAid billed itself as «a benefit concert for wildfire victims.» Aside from music by the likes of Lady Gaga, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry and Olivia Rodrigo, the five-hour show featured multiple stories from victims of the Altadena and Palisades fire who had lost their homes.
Fox News Digital reported in July that six months later, victims in the city’s most impacted neighborhoods still had not received any direct funds raised by the concert.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for FireAid told Fox News Digital that «to most effectively deliver aid to the community as quickly as possible, we partnered with vetted and trusted local nonprofits who had the capacity and infrastructure to directly reach the individuals in need.»
The spokesperson said «this assistance provided food security, housing, resources for schools and more directly to individuals in the affected communities.»
TRUMP AND NEWSOM FIGHT OVER NATIONAL GUARD HEADS TO TRIAL IN CALIFORNIA
Workers replace power line following the Palisades Fire along Pacific coast in Malibu, California, U.S. January 13, 2025. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)
They said that to date, FireAid has «distributed two rounds of funding totaling close to $75 million to organizations helping people on the ground and expect to distribute the remaining $25 million by the end of the year.»
«The funds address the urgent needs from individuals in our communities— from immediate financial assistance, to childcare, groceries, mental health and housing and rebuilding public spaces as well as fire prevention. The grants have been distributed to more than 160 frontline nonprofits, schools, and local organizations which were identified and selected by FireAid,» said the spokesperson.
Abbott claimed that several factors have made Texas’ response to the flooding disaster very different from California’s.
«It starts with generosity … but the second thing is we don’t let things slow us down. We are very empathetic with those who have lost their homes, who’ve had their lives turned upside down, who are trying to get back into their homes,» he said. «So, we were able to cut through all the red tape and make sure that the money got into the hands of those who needed it the most.»
He went on to say that «now we’re working with the local governments to make sure these people are going to be able to take these dollars, these resources, and actually begin that construction process to get their homes rebuilt.»
This comes despite the governor’s ongoing showdown with Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives, who fled the state and brought the legislature’s efforts to pass new flood relief measures to a grinding halt. The Democrats fled the state in protest of redistricting plans that would potentially give Republicans five additional seats in Congress.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT THREATENS TO REDISTRICT 8 SEATS FOR GOP IF DEM LAWMAKERS DON’T RETURN TO TEXAS
Texas Democrats stood next to Illinois lawmakers on Aug. 4, 2025, to oppose redistricting measures proposed by Texas Republicans. (Fox News)
The governor and other state leaders, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Leader Dustin Burrows, both Republicans, have filed legal action to arrest the rogue lawmakers and have threatened to remove them from their offices. Thus far, however, the Democrats have been able to evade Texas authorities and hold up any progress by denying the state House the necessary quorum to pass legislation.
«We’re able to give that to the victims, even though we have Democrats who’ve fled the state and been dishonorable to our state,» said Abbott, adding, «One thing about Texans is we stand and fight if we have principles we want to fight on. And what these Democrats have done, they fled the state, and that’s very un-Texan on their part.»
He went on to say that «we’ll get the financial resources to those who need it, but also we’re working to provide greater assistance for them in the meantime.»
«That said, there are laws that need to be passed, such as creating early warning systems, such as making sure we change what the rules are in the flood zones, and things like that. That’s going to require these Democrats showing back up and casting a vote,» he explained.
WATCH: TRUMP SAYS FBI ‘MAY HAVE TO’ HELP TEXAS ROUND UP AWOL DEM LAWMAKERS
AUSTIN, TEXAS – APRIL 23: Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a bill signing in the State Capitol on April 23, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
«Know that the gears of government to improve the response to this disaster are being slowed down and denied because Democrats are not showing up and doing their job,» he went on. «So, despite the fact that we have a bunch of cowardly Democrats who turned tail and ran out of state and right here to do their job, my main focus that I put my time and attention to is helping out the flood victims of this tragedy to make sure they’re getting the resources they need and so we can accelerate the rebuilding process to get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible.»
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A spokesperson for Newsom’s office directed Fox News Digital to a press conference he held with several Texas Democrats, including state Rep. Ann Johnson, who claimed during the event that Democratic lawmakers «waited to address that issue» of flood relief for two weeks but that «they only put one bill up for us to debate in the House and it was redistricting.»
«We have an arrest warrant for us to go back to Texas for one bill only. They don’t want us to come back for flooding,» said Johnson.
She accused Republicans of «using those families as a distraction,» saying, «the governor can write a check right now to try to start the process and so its his decision what’s valuable to him.»
Johnson suggested that Democrats «will gladly show up» to address flooding, school testing, human trafficking or court infrastructure but not for the redistricting vote.
Fox News Digital also reached out to the Texas House Democratic Caucus for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Fox News Digital’s William La Jeunesse contributed to this report.
texas,greg abbott,democratic party,disaster response
Ofensiva diplomática
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