The Washington D.C. Council’s pathetic, politically charged attempts to kick the National Guard out of the nation’s capital have hit a brick wall, with the Department of Justice firing back.
In a scathing letter that pulls no punches, Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald shredded the council’s efforts to pressure state governors into recalling their troops, labeling the move “impotent theatrics” that aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.
“I am not surprised that your recent letter to state governors regarding the National Guard feigns ignorance of the historic public safety strides made in our Nation’s capital since August 11, 2025,” McDonald wrote, effectively telling the local politicians to wake up and look at the safe streets they are currently presiding over.
The council, apparently nostalgic for the days of out-of-control chaos, has tried to frame the presence of the Guard as an unwelcome occupation. McDonald wasn’t having it. He laid out the cold, hard reality: since President Trump declared a crime emergency on August 11, 2025, the city has undergone a miraculous transformation.
The DOJ official didn’t hesitate to call out the council’s own hypocrisy. He unearthed a quote from D.C. Councilmember Trayon White, who signed the letter demanding the Guard leave, describing D.C. as a “war zone” in 2023. At the time, White begged for the very resources the council is now trying to banish, complaining that the community lacked officers and resources. Now that the “war” is actually being won, the council has developed a convenient case of amnesia.
The results, however, are impossible to ignore. Thanks to the Task Force and the National Guard, D.C. has experienced the largest reduction in violent crime in its entire history. While the council whines about “outside forces,” the Guard is out there doing the work: taking illegal guns off the streets, conducting thousands of arrests, protecting critical infrastructure, and literally saving lives by intervening in assaults and administering life-saving Narcan to citizens in peril.
McDonald lauded these troops as “true American heroes,” noting they are serving selflessly to restore order while local officials prioritize political grandstanding over public safety.
On November 26, 2025, two members of the West Virginia National Guard deployed to Washington, D.C., were shot in an ambush-style attack outside the Farragut West Metro station, two blocks from the White House. U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2025. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured in the attack but survived. Authorities arrested Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who had entered the U.S. in 2021. He was charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and firearm offenses. He pleaded not guilty.
PSA: The D.C. City Council sent letters to 10 governors whose National Guard members are serving in D.C., demanding that these brave men and women be removed from our nation's capital.
This Department of Justice will not stand for these politically motivated demands. We will… pic.twitter.com/tgCMTDLB1G
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) August 12, 2026
The message from the DOJ to the council was simple and brutal: You have zero power to kick them out, so stop the noise. Instead of slandering the men and women in uniform, the council should focus on their actual jobs: fixing the city’s broken laws to ensure real criminals are finally punished.
“My office is available to assist you in this regard,” McDonald concluded with a sting.
As for the Guard? They’re staying.
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