Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dropped an expletive when asked whether Democrats would support President Trump’s bid to extend federal control over Washington, DC’s police force beyond the current 30-day limit.
“No f–king way!” the New York Democrat exclaimed during an interview with “The Parnas Perspective” podcast on Thursday. “We’ll fight him tooth and nail.”
Trump announced this week he’s seeking “long-term extensions” from Congress to maintain command of the Metropolitan Police Department past the month allowed under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.
The president expressed confidence Republicans would back the measure “pretty much unanimously.”
But Schumer signaled fierce Democratic resistance when host Aaron Parnas posed a hypothetical about Trump claiming a crime emergency to justify keeping the National Guard deployed and controlling the capital’s law enforcement.
“He needs to get Congress to approve it, and not only are we not going to approve it, but there are some Republicans who don’t like it either,” Schumer said.
The minority leader dismissed Trump’s push as “just a distraction” from ongoing demands that the administration release documents about convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
“He’s afraid of Epstein. He’s afraid of all that, and we are not going to give up on Epstein,” Schumer charged.
Trump has maintained that nothing will stop his crackdown on what he describes as crime and homelessness plaguing the nation’s capital, though recent reports indicate crime rates have actually been declining.
Speaking to reporters at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, Trump suggested he could bypass Congress entirely if necessary.
“Well, if it’s a national emergency, we can do it without Congress. But we expect to be before Congress very quickly,” Trump said.
“And again, we think the Democrats will not do anything to stop crime, but we think the Republicans will do it almost unanimously.”
The president outlined plans for legislation specifically targeting DC, which he wants to use as a model for other cities.
“So we’re going to need a crime bill. That we’re going to be putting in, and it’s going to pertain initially to DC. We’re going to use it as a very positive example,” he said.
Trump emphasized the urgency of extending federal control beyond the initial window.
“You can’t have 30 days,” he insisted. “We’re going to do this very quickly, but we’re going to want extensions.”
Despite his preference for congressional approval, Trump left the door open to unilateral action.
“I don’t want to call a national emergency, but if I have to, I will,” the president warned.
The Post has sought comment from the White House.
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