We have been covering the sudden resignation of the District of Columbia's police chief, Pamela Smith. Now, thanks to an investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, we have a much clearer picture as to the reasons behind Chief Smith's resignation; namely, the testimony from several of her subordinates that she pressured them to alter records to make the crime rates in the District look much less dire than they actually were. It was these crime rates that prompted President Trump to deploy the National Guard to the capital city to restore order.
Now, it looks like that decision has been finally justified, once and for all.
🚨 BOMBSHELL: Chief Smith resigned in disgrace after MPD commanders told House Oversight she pressured them to cook the books on DC crime.
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) December 14, 2025
Our investigation confirms it: She cared more about protecting her image than protecting the public.
Read the damning report below 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/vhmbEp3ffh
The interim report states in part:
The interim report, drawn from transcribed interviews with the commanders of all seven D.C. patrol districts, as well as one former commander currently placed on suspended leave, reveals that Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela A. Smith pressured and at times directed commanders to manipulate crime data in order to maintain the appearance of low crime in the nation’s capital. The testimony from the commanders also describes an environment under Chief Smith marked by fear, intimidation, threats, and retaliation—conditions that contributed directly to declining morale and the loss of experienced officers and commanders.
In other words, Chief Smith pushed her subordinates to lie about how bad things in the District really were. No wonder she's resigning.
Read More: D.C. Police Chief Resigns Almost 2 Years Before Her Contract Expires; Union Questions Timing
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Think about the implications of this. The Chief of Police of not just a major American city, but our very capital city, pressured her subordinate officers to lie about the mess that lax law enforcement and prosecutorial practices had made of that city. She lied to Congress and to the American people. She pressured and even ordered her subordinates to lie. She apparently threatened and intimidated them into compliance.
This is an unforgivable breach of trust with the American people, with the District's police force, and most of all with the people who live in the crime-ridden district, and who had to have a pretty good idea what was really going on. So, Chief Smith has resigned, in disgrace, but there should be more serious consequences for something like this. But you can't hide a mess like this forever, and it was the rising crime rate that prompted President Trump's deployment of the National Guard; and now, Chief Smith's former subordinates are pointing out that the president's measures are working.
On August 14, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14333, Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia. The effects were twofold: first, the MPD was placed under the control of the U.S. Attorney General, and second, President Trump deployed D.C. National Guard to supplement the MPD’s efforts to fight crime. MPD Commanders testified that President Trump’s efforts have been effective.
It's working. And the district's leadership is now facing a piper who is demanding payment, and that's a good thing.
You can view the entire House Oversight interim report here.
Editor’s Note: President Donald Trump is returning Washington, D.C. to the American people by locking up violent criminals and restoring order.
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