President Donald Trump stood in the White House press briefing room Monday morning, declaring it “Liberation Day in D.C.” and announcing that he was taking over Washington, D.C.’s police force. Invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, a rarely used provision of federal law, Trump said he was placing the Metropolitan Police Department under direct White House control and deploying the D.C. National Guard into city streets.
Yes, is the answer. They want to eat the cake and to still have it. By selectively enforcing or ignoring law, they get to exert more control over the agenda.