Members of the National Guard armed with rifles patrol Constitution Avenue on August 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
As the Trump administration instituted its takeover of Washington, D.C., the federal government has touted its handling of crime in city and promoted the number of arrests it has obtained in just a matter of weeks. But reports show that some of the criminal cases originating from the federal crackdown are falling apart in court as prosecutors fail to obtain indictments in highly publicized incidents.
The Justice Department recently vowed to make an example of a Washington resident and government employee who had heckled, then hurled a sandwich at, one of the federal agents patrolling the city’s streets. The man, Sean Dunn, was arrested and slapped with a felony charge.
“Let me be clear, if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, be certain we will come after you with the full weight of the law. Our officers have a job to do, and they should not be abused in the process,” D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said of the incident. “This alleged assault is no joke — it’s a serious crime, and those who think otherwise will learn just how gravely mistaken they are.”
However, the New York Times reported last month that federal prosecutors were unable to convince the members of the grand jury to indict Dunn, a now-former employee of the Justice Department, for felony assault stemming from the encounter earlier this month. On August 10, Dunn was arrested after he reportedly approached a group of Customs and Border Protection agents and Metro Transit officers, calling them “fascists” and telling them, “I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn then allegedly threw a sandwich at one of the CBP agents, “striking him in the chest,” per the Justice Department’s press release. He would later be charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and employees of the United States.
Dunn’s case is not the only recent stumble from Pirro’s office. CNN reported in August that the U.S. Attorney’s team failed three times to secure an indictment against Sydney Lori Reid from a federal grand jury for felony assault against a federal agent. The Justice Department alleges that Reid, a D.C. resident, was recording the transfer of two prisoners into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and tried to place herself in between one of the prisoners and the agents. As the agents sought to restrain her against a nearby wall, Reid reportedly fought against the FBI agent assisting the transfer, and the agent’s hand was “injured from striking and scraping the cement wall causing lacerations.” She was ultimately charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees. But three federal grand juries opted against returning an indictment against Reid, prompting Pirro’s office to seek a misdemeanor charge instead.
Most recently, CBS News reported Tuesday that a federal grand jury declined to indict Nathalie Jones, an Indiana woman, accused of making threats against President Donald Trump online. According to the Justice Department, Jones allegedly made numerous posts criticizing Trump, calling him a “terrorist,” denouncing his administration as a “dictatorship,” and claiming she would kill the president. Jones was arrested following a demonstration in Washington, D.C.
It’s extremely rare for a federal grand jury to not indict, as jurors only need to determine if there’s probable cause, a low bar to clear. But in comments to CNN last week, Pirro attempted to downplay the striking occurrence. “We are the tip of the spear. We are the ones who take these cases into court, and the burden is on us to prove these cases. And we welcome that burden beyond a reasonable doubt,” she said. “Sometimes a jury will buy it and sometimes they won’t. So be it. That’s the way the process works.”
For weeks, Trump has trumpeted the purported successes of his federal takeover of D.C., claiming plummeting crime rates and a city full of grateful residents. But the reality appears more mixed as restaurants reported a decrease in business and reservations in the immediate aftermath and some Washingtonians noting in a poll they feel less safe with the federal officers on the street.
Nevertheless, Trump is continuing to expand his administration’s control over the city. Sean Duffy, the secretary of Transportation, announced last Wednesday that his department would be taking control of Union Station, one of the country’s largest transportation hubs, out of the hands of Amtrak. “Instead of being a point of pride, Washington’s Union Station has fallen into disrepair. By reclaiming station management, we will help make this city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost,” Duffy said in a statement.
And the National Guardsmen deployed by the federal government to patrol the city streets have picked up additional duties in recent days. The Washington Post reports that troops have been spotted removing trash and spreading mulch, taking on duties typically handled by the National Park Service, which underwent cuts from the Trump administration.
While the increased federal presence has prompted anger from local residents and even politicians, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has continued to express an openness to working with the Trump administration. On Tuesday, Bowser issued an executive order that established an emergency operations center to “ensure coordination with federal law enforcement to the maximum extent allowable by law within the District.”
