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Donald Trump and his political allies are promising law enforcement reforms and to fight crime in Washington, D.C., when he takes office again in January. 

Already, allies on Capitol Hill are preparing to launch investigations, new committees, and detail new priorities as the former president prepares to take the reigns on the executive branch for the second non-consecutive term. 

Some initiatives are taking aim at the nation’s capital, following promises from Trump on the campaign trail to clean up the city. Congress is looking to block disfavored city laws or using its power to shape the city’s budget, while Trump wants to enforce “tough on crime” policies in the district. 

One congressman believes the security of the U.S. Capitol building itself and the politicization in the police force protecting the complex at the heart of the city should be the focus of a new select committee. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, Chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight says reforms are needed to root out undue political influence on the department’s leadership, exposed by a probe into the Capitol Police in the aftermath of the January 6 riot. 

“I believe we need a select committee that is focused on the security of the United States Capitol. You know, we’ve done a lot with our January 6 investigation, and have done more than anyone ever thought that we would do to get to the truth,” Loudermilk told the “Just the News, No Noise“ TV show. He added: “But there’s one thing that we’ve uncovered that no one else can fix, except for the United States Congress, and that’s the issues we have internally.” 

“You have the Architect of the Capitol, you have the Capitol Police, you have both Sergeant at Arms that collectively are responsible for securing this Capitol. I believe we need a select committee that is dedicated to looking into all of those to find the how politicized each of those organizations are, and even the Capitol Police Inspector General,” Loudermilk said. 

Troubling failures

Loudermilk’s probe into the Capitol Police followed from a broader investigation spearheaded by his subcommittee into the security failures of January 6 and the conduct of the January 6 Select Committee. That probe has upended several of the narratives espoused by the former select committee and uncovered troubling failures, like the Capitol Police and Democratic leadership’s failure to act on warnings of violence ahead of the riot. 

His investigation also found that the U.S. Capitol Police officer who fatally shot pro-Trump protestor Ashli Babbitt has a lengthy disciplinary record that included incidents with firearms, Just the News reported last week. 

The officer, then-Lt. Michael Byrd, was cited for at least two prior gun-related incidents dating back to 2004 that suggested questionable judgement. In the first incident, Byrd fired his weapon into the back of a stolen vehicle fleeing his suburban neighborhood while he was off duty. This resulted in a referral to a prosecutor, but no charges were brought. Then in 2019 Byrd left his service weapon unattended in a public Capitol restroom and was suspended for just over a month. 

Additionally, internal Capitol Police emails show that in the wake of the shooting on January 6, Democratic House leadership pressed the Capitol Police to provide financial assistance and other support to the officer, Michael Byrd, that far surpassed any benefits offered to other officers stationed on the Hill that day, Just the News reported last week. 

“[T]here has to be reforms, and the only way I believe you’re going to it is if we have a select committee whose commission to look into these matters,” Loudermilk said. 

Rebuilding D.C. into “the crown jewel of the nation”

At the same time, President-elect Trump has promised to bring changes to law enforcement in the wider city of Washington, D.C., which is still suffering from elevated violent crimes rates, though it has declined from high levels last year. 

“An important part of my platform for president is to bring back, restore, and rebuild Washington D.C. into the ‘crown jewel’ of the nation,” Trump said last year during his campaign at the same time that the city was experiencing its greatest spike of homicides since 1997. 

He has frequently reiterated a promise to “take over our horribly run” capitol city on the campaign trail, according to an Axios analysis of his speeches, press conferences and interviews about policy. 

As president, Trump will have many options to directly address issues he perceives with the city, For example, he could deploy the National Guard to the city to crack down on crime. The president used this option during the Summer 2020 riots in the district following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis that sparked violent Black Lives Matter protests across the country. 

Trump will also have the opportunity to appoint a new federal prosecutor for the district who shares his law enforcement priorities. 

His congressional allies also have tools that could help Trump shape the city’s government and law enforcement. The Congress can exercise control of the district by imposing an oversight board to run the city’s budget. It did so once before in the 1990s when the city went bankrupt. Congress can also block or overturn laws implemented by the city government, as it already did once before with a bill many critics saw as being too soft on crime. 

House Republicans have already say they want to block the city’s voting law that permits non-citizens to cast ballots in local elections and prevent the city from following emissions rules set by California, per Axios.