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 newest transfer within the president’s federal crackdown on crime.
Mr. Trump additionally signed an order directing the Justice Division to research cases of flag burning, though the Supreme Court docket in 1989 dominated that the First Modification protected symbolic speech, together with flag burning.
The manager order on cashless bail prices Legal professional Basic 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 stated of cashless bail earlier than he signed the manager order within the Oval Workplace. “However we’re beginning by ending it in D.C., and that we’ve the correct to do via federalization.”
The transfer comes because the Nationwide 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 considerations, turning into one of many first cities within the nation to take action.
“That was when the large crime on this nation began,” Mr. Trump stated 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 attainable, and to cost them with federal crimes. The president additionally signed an government order encouraging federal regulation enforcement companies to rent further personnel to allow them to surge regulation enforcement to D.C.
Trump on federal authorities intervention in Chicago: “We’re able to go anyplace”
One of many president’s government orders additionally directs the protection secretary to make sure that every state’s Nationwide Guard is resourced, skilled, organized and obtainable to assist in “quelling civil disturbances,” and directs the protection secretary to designate a lot of every state’s Nationwide Guard to be obtainable for such functions. Mr. Trump has stated Chicago may very well be the following metropolis the place the federal authorities imposes against the law crackdown.
“We’re able to go anyplace,” the president stated when requested about Chicago. “We are able to go anyplace on lower than 24 hours’ discover.”
Cracking down on flag burning
The manager order the president signed pushes Bondi to research 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 felony 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,” stated Trump workers secretary Will Scharf.
Mr. Trump stated he needs the penalty for flag burning to be not less than one yr in jail.
“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 stated of what he hopes punishment for flag burning shall be.
