Former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said former President Trump calling herself a “law and order” candidate would be the same as saying she plays in the NBA. .
“First of all, for former President Trump to run as a so-called law and order candidate is like saying I play in the NBA. I mean, that’s not the case at all.” She spoke Sunday on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.”
Host Jen Psaki asked Napolitano how she would respond to President Trump’s repeated claim that crime in the United States is “worse than ever.” Psaki said crime is down in most places in the U.S., but crime is up in some cities, including Washington, D.C. Napolitano, who served in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2013, said crime is on the rise in some cities, including Washington, D.C. President Biden rejected the idea that crime spiked while he was in the White House.
“Look, at the end of President Trump’s term, right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, there was an alarming spike in violent crime. But since then, crime has fallen dramatically in the last few years. So last year, in 2023, we saw the largest decline in violent crime across the country since about 1960,” she said.
“And, let’s just say, we’re full of violent crime, and it keeps increasing. Don’t let the facts get in the way of the rhetoric. But the facts are the facts,” she said.
FBI data released last month Violent crime in the U.S. continues to decline in 2023 after a pandemic-era surge, the study shows. President Biden touted the statistics at the time and said he would continue to work to keep communities safe.
Psaki then asked Napolitano about his thoughts on Republicans using violent incidents like the death of student Laken Riley as “evidence that immigrant crime is a major factor in crime.” Police said the suspect in Riley’s death is Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who entered the United States illegally in 2022.
“Look, we’re having a whole discussion about crime because of one horrific incident. And this is a terrible incident, and our hearts go out to the victim’s family and friends. But violent crimes committed by immigrants. To make a national claim that we’re monitoring this is again contrary to the facts,” Napolitano said.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
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