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Patel reports 10 FBI arrests in DC after Trump takeover of Washington police

By Brady Knox August 12, 2025 | updated 20 hours ago

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau has made 10 arrests as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to crack down on crime in the capital.

In a post on X, Patel gave his first update on the FBI’s effort to assist Trump with his initiative to “make DC safe again.” Over the first night, the FBI made arrests on a search warrant for a prior murder charge, unlawful possession of firearms, multiple outstanding warrants for DUI, and a violation of a restraining order, among others.

“These are just a few examples — we are just getting started. Federal partners joined local police and arrested 23 in total. When you let good cops be cops they can clean up our streets and do it fast,” he said.

“More to come,” Patel vowed. “Your nation’s Capital WILL be safe again.”

On Monday, Trump announced “Liberation Day” for Washington, federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department and activating the National Guard. The FBI was one of several agencies assisting Trump’s crackdown.

White House officials said Trump will mobilize roughly 800 National Guard troops to assist the MPD with logistics, transportation, and guarding federal and law enforcement facilities. The federalization is expected to last 30 days, and Attorney General Pam Bondi will be in charge of the federalized MPD.

“This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back,” Trump told reporters in the White House press briefing room. “We’re taking it back under the authorities vested in me as the president of the United States. I’m officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act — you know what that is — and placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.”

He added that the National Guard troops would be “allowed to do their job properly.”

LINDSEY GRAHAM SAYS DC ‘MOST DANGEROUS PLACE’ ON EARTH IN DEFENDING TRUMP POLICE TAKEOVER

The move was met with backlash, with critics arguing the move was unnecessary, pointing to city data showing a significant decrease in crime over the past year. Defenders have accused city officials of manipulating the numbers; a Washington, D.C., police commander was suspended last month after accusing MPD Chief Pamela Smith and other top department brass of falsely manipulating crime statistics.

Trump had floated the idea of taking over Washington during his 2024 presidential campaign, bemoaning the state of the city. The first seven months of his second term went by without much focus on the issue until earlier this month, when a Department of Government Efficiency staffer was assailed by several juveniles. An enraged Trump held up the attack as symptomatic of the deteriorating conditions in the capital, vowing to take drastic measures to restore the city to its former glory.

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