Among the most hackish components of the liberal media had pivoted to outright mendacity and denying that Washington, D.C. had a significant crime and security drawback. That a lot was clear throughout Thursday’s Inside Politics on CNN as community correspondent Gabe Cohen attacked and scoffed at Nationwide Guard troops deployed to the district. He was joined by Axios contributor Margaret Talev who all however denied the existence of crime within the metropolis, whereas claiming the Guard deployment was roving authoritarianism.
Early in his feedback, Cohen blamed “the FBI brokers, the DEA brokers, Border Patrol, these guys” for “the extra tense moments” shared on social media from the night time earlier than, as a substitute of the far-left and purchased protesters that assailed their place.
He then focused the Nationwide Guard troops by suggesting they weren’t doing something in any respect besides taking photos of themselves:
There’s additionally this surge in Nationwide Guard troops, which I used to be simply exterior Union Station, the most important practice station in D.C. A few dozen members of the Nationwide Guard had been on the market with 4 Humvees. The aim for these guys is admittedly visibility. That is what they need. They only need primarily a photograph op.
At this level, I can inform you at one level I really noticed a Nationwide Guard official present up with a digital camera. Encourage the troops there to get out of their autos to primarily be lively doing issues. They had been taking photographs.
“Whether or not or not it is deterring crime. I can not say,” Cohen scoffed as he proceeded to downplay the existence of the homeless encampment exterior Union Station as only a hangout spot. “I do stroll that route every day. There are sometimes folks type of exterior the station hanging round. That wasn’t the case as we speak.”
Distinction that with what Cohen mentioned earlier within the day when he admitted locals had “numerous considerations about crime round Union Station — people who find themselves loitering exterior.” Union Station was only a couple blocks or o from CNN’s D.C. studio.
On the Tuesday and Wednesday editions of CNN’s The Lead (respectively), Republican commentators had shared their tales of Union Station had been Doug Heye hinted on the “woman brawl” and the “public masturbation” he was pressured to see; and Scott Jennings witnessed a man be murdered there.
Again on Thursday, Talev adopted up Cohen suggesting the Nationwide Guard deployment was a part of a “march towards an authoritarian[ism]” and the “federalization of the capital metropolis and maybe different cities.”
She went on to blatantly lie concerning the crime image in D.C. and even claimed Anacostia, the district’s crime stuffed southeast quadrant wasn’t really that unhealthy:
However, for somebody who’s dwelling exterior of Washington questioning, ‘Wow, is it actually like this? Against the law infested, harmful, like struggle zone?’ The reply is not any, not most components of town in any respect. And you may go browsing to a D.C. Authorities web site and truly have a look at a map of the place the federal – of the place violent crimes and all crimes happen. And you may see that they’re concentrated in a couple of patches within the central hall of town and in parts of northeast Washington, and a pair spots in southeast.
“[D]o folks in these communities need a militarized police presence, or do they need, like, regulation enforcement officers who work for town in these areas?” she chided.
Nicely Margaret, they do.
In an on-air report for The Lead on Tuesday, southeastern D.C. resident and group advocate Sandra Seegars advised correspondent Brian Todd spoke that, “I feel that is lengthy overdue. I have been wanting the Nationwide Guard on this space for years…I prefer it, I like it, I really feel safer already.”
The transcript is beneath. Click on “broaden” to learn:
CNN’s Inside Politics
August 14, 2025
12:20:39 p.m. Jap(…)
DANA BASH: What’s what is definitely taking place on the market?
GABE COHEN: Nicely look, there are a couple of elements of the federal regulation enforcement asset surge that we’re seeing. One are the FBI brokers, the DEA brokers, Border Patrol, these guys who’re on the market every night time, which has created a few of the extra tense moments.
There’s additionally this surge in Nationwide Guard troops, which I used to be simply exterior Union Station, the most important practice station in D.C. A few dozen members of the Nationwide Guard had been on the market with 4 Humvees. The aim for these guys is admittedly visibility. That is what they need. They only need primarily a photograph op.
At this level, I can inform you at one level I really noticed a Nationwide Guard official present up with a digital camera. Encourage the troops there to get out of their autos to primarily be lively doing issues. They had been taking photographs.
BASH: Wow.
COHEN: That’s actually, it appears, about making a press release and whether or not or not it is deterring crime. I can not say. I do stroll that route every day. There are sometimes folks type of exterior the station hanging round. That wasn’t the case as we speak.
However by way of total deterrence, we all know that they’re ramping this up. They’ll be increasingly federal regulation enforcement officers who’re going to be out on a each day and nightly foundation. We anticipate it to proceed to extend within the days forward.
MARGARET TALEV: I feel you realize what Gabe’s speaking about raises type of the dialog that Washingtonians are having, which is, are these strikes performative? Are they a sluggish march towards an authoritarian transfer round federalization of the capital metropolis and maybe different cities? Or are they someplace within the center? Is there going to are there going to be some legitimately stepped up regulation enforcement efforts in troubled components of town?
And like, I say, it is too quickly to say, sorry. That is like a lame place filler. It’s too quickly to say. It has been a few days.
However, for somebody who’s dwelling exterior of Washington questioning, ‘Wow, is it actually like this? Against the law infested, harmful, like struggle zone?’ The reply is not any, not most components of town in any respect. And you may go browsing to a D.C. Authorities web site and truly have a look at a map of the place the federal – of the place violent crimes and all crimes happen. And you may see that they’re concentrated in a couple of patches within the central hall of town and in parts of northeast Washington, and a pair spots in southeast. And that that’s the place the overwhelming majority of harmful crimes occur.
Does that match the place this stepped up presence is being deployed? And do folks in these communities need a militarized police presence, or do they need, like, regulation enforcement officers who work for town in these areas?
(…)
