Washington — President Trump on Monday signed an government order to push Washington, D.C., and different localities to finish cashless bail for arrested suspects, threatening to withhold federal funding from cities that fail to finish this system. It is the most recent transfer within the president’s federal crackdown on crime.
Mr. Trump additionally signed an order directing the Justice Division to analyze cases of flag burning, though the Supreme Court docket in 1989 ruled that the First Modification protected symbolic speech, together with flag burning.
The chief order on cashless bail fees Lawyer Common Pam Bondi with figuring out jurisdictions within the U.S. which have cashless bail insurance policies, and withholds or revokes federal grants to these jurisdictions.
“We’re ending it,” Mr. Trump mentioned of cashless bail earlier than he signed the chief order within the Oval Workplace. “However we’re beginning by ending it in D.C., and that we’ve the correct to do by means of federalization.”
The transfer comes because the National Guard and federal regulation enforcement are dispersed all through the district, patrolling the streets. Within the final 11 days, the White Home says no murders have taken place within the district.
D.C. launched cashless bail within the Nineteen Nineties over civil rights issues, changing into one of many first cities within the nation to take action.
“That was when the massive crime on this nation began,” Mr. Trump mentioned Monday, talking of cashless bail. “They kill folks they usually get out. Cashless bail, they thought it was discriminatory to make folks put up cash as a result of they simply killed three folks mendacity on the road.”
The president additionally signed an government order Monday stating it is the federal government’s goal to carry as many suspects captured in D.C. in federal custody as doable, and to cost them with federal crimes. The president additionally signed an government order encouraging federal regulation enforcement businesses to rent extra personnel to allow them to surge regulation enforcement to D.C.
Trump on federal authorities intervention in Chicago: “We’re able to go wherever”
One of many president’s government orders additionally directs the protection secretary to make sure that every state’s Nationwide Guard is resourced, educated, organized and out there to assist in “quelling civil disturbances,” and directs the protection secretary to designate various every state’s Nationwide Guard to be out there for such functions. Mr. Trump has mentioned Chicago might be the subsequent metropolis the place the federal government imposes a crime crackdown.
“We’re able to go wherever,” the president mentioned when requested about Chicago. “We will go wherever on lower than 24 hours’ discover.”
Cracking down on flag burning
The chief order the president signed pushes Bondi to analyze cases of flag desecration. The administration has been essential of pro-Palestinian protests and anti-immigration crackdown demonstrations which have featured flag burning.
“After which the place there’s proof of prison exercise, the place prosecution would not fall afoul of the First Modification, it instructs the Division of Justice to prosecute those that had been engaged in these cases of flag burning,” mentioned Trump workers secretary Will Scharf.
Mr. Trump mentioned he desires the penalty for flag burning to be at the very least one yr in particular person.
“And what the penalty goes to be, if you happen to burn a flag, you get one yr in jail, no early exits, no nothing,” the president mentioned of what he hopes punishment for flag burning will likely be.
