Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) on Wednesday expressed his fear of being carjacked in the nation’s capital, as the Trump administration ramps up its federal takeover of local law enforcement.
“And by the way, I’m not joking when I say this, I drive around in Washington, D.C., in my Jeep, and yes, I do drive myself, and I don’t buckle up. And the reason why I don’t buckle up, and people can say whatever they want to, they can raise their eyebrows at me again, is because of carjacking,” Mullin said during an appearance on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle.”
“I don’t want to be stuck in my vehicle when I need to exit in a hurry, because I got a seatbelt around me and that — and I wear my seatbelt all the time,” he told host Brian Kilmeade, in a clip highlighted by Mediaite.
“But in Washington, D.C., I do not, because it is so prevalent of carjacking,” the Oklahoma Republican continued. “And I don’t want the same thing [to] happen to me what’s happened to a lot of people that work on the hill.”
President Trump announced earlier this week that his administration was taking control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and deployed hundreds of National Guard soldiers to the area to combat crime and violence in the city.
The move, sparked after a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer was attacked by teenagers during a carjacking — has received heavy blowback from Democrats and local officials.
A provision in Washington’s “Home Rule Act” allows the president to federalize the police force for up to 30 days — but any additional time requires Congressional approval. During a speech Wednesday from the Kennedy Center, Trump said he will seek a “long-term” extension.
“Well, if it’s a national emergency, we can do it without Congress,” Trump said, when asked about whether he’s talked to lawmakers about extending the takeover. He added that he expects meet with Congress “very quickly” and snag GOP support.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) signaled in a post online Wednesday that he and fellow Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) were working with the Trump administration on a safety package for the district.
“Together, we will try to shepherd the DC Security Fund through Congress to give President Trump the resources he will need to improve the safety and quality of life in our nation’s capital,” he wrote on social platform X. “Every American should be behind this effort to make Washington, DC clean and safe so that it can truly become the shining city on the hill.”
For such a move to advance, however, it would likely need support from some Senate Democrats. Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made clear that his caucus would not back the measure.
“No f‑‑‑ing way,” he told podcast host Aaron Parnas. “We’ll fight him tooth and nail. … He needs to get Congress to approve it, and not only are we not going to approve it, but there are some Republicans who don’t like either.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has also pushed back on Trump’s moves, calling them an “authoritarian push” as data shows the crime rate declining in the nation’s capital. The mayor has also used the national attention as a platform to reup the district’s quest to gain statehood.
