Trump tweets about Chicago violence that he'll 'send in the Feds'
President Donald Trump suggested via Twitter Tuesday night that he'll "send in the Feds" to address the violence in Chicago.
"If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible 'carnage' going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!" he wrote on his personal account.
It was unclear what exactly Trump meant. He is authorized to send in the National Guard, as well as increase federal funding to programs to combat violence in the city, an expert told ABC 7 Chicago.
"You don't often see the National Guard getting federalized and getting deployed, and there's all sorts of reasons for (not deploying), not the least of which is that they can step on the toes of locals and there has to be very good coordination," said ABC 7 legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Gil Soffer. "It's usually only done in the most extreme circumstances."
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson responded in a statement Tuesday night, "As the mayor said just a few hours ago, The Chicago Police Department is more than willing to work with the federal government to build on our partnerships with DOJ, FBI, DEA and ATF and boost federal prosecution rates for gun crimes in Chicago."
Johnson was referring to statements Mayor Rahm Emanuel made in an interview on WTTW Channel 11's "Chicago Tonight." The mayor reaffirmed his commitment to seeing thorough reforms recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice in a sharply critical report on the Chicago Police Department released just days before the end of the Obama administration, WTTW reported.
Emanuel said on "Chicago Tonight" that Trump and the federal government can be helpful to the city on issues like tracking guns, providing resources for officers and creating after-school opportunities for young people.
"Over the years the federal government's stepped back their resources, which we have stepped up," Emanuel said. "The federal government can be a partner, and to be honest they haven't been for decades."
Trump's Twitter statement comes the day after Emanuel, a former chief of staff and top staffer for former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, unloaded about Trump to reporters in Chicago, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
"You didn't get elected to debate the crowd size at your inaugural. ... You got elected to make sure that people have a job, that the economy continues to grow, people have security as it relates to their kids' education. It wasn't about your crowd size. It was about their lives and their jobs."
Earlier this month, Trump, while still president-elect, addressed via Twitter Chicago's crime surge. "Chicago murder rate is record setting - 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016. If Mayor can't do it he must ask for Federal help!" Trump said in a tweet. But Emanuel already asked Trump for assistance - when they met in New York last month, the Sun-Times reports.
Trump did not offer what type of federal help he has in mind. The 762 figure is the Chicago Police Department count.
Trump singled out Chicago on Friday, the day he was inaugurated, on his new whitehouse.gov website, on a page headlined, "Standing Up For Our Law Enforcement Community."
"One of the fundamental rights of every American is to live in a safe community. A Trump Administration will empower our law enforcement officers to do their jobs and keep our streets free of crime and violence. The Trump Administration will be a law and order administration. President Trump will honor our men and women in uniform and will support their mission of protecting the public. The dangerous anti-police atmosphere in America is wrong. The Trump Administration will end it."