Jesse Watters of Fox News had to interrupt Mike Nellis, the Senior Adviser to Kamala Harris, once Vice President, during a recent discussion. Nellis put forth the unusual idea that there was no need for the National Guard to counter the surging crime rate in the city of Chicago. This remark came following President Donald Trump’s public thought of dispatching National Guard troops to Chicago, having previously sent them to Washington, D.C., on August 11th.
‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ saw a conversation where Watters inquired whether Nellis believes the crime-laden city of Chicago could use the intervention from the federal government. Disappointingly but predictably, Nellis absurdly responded that he didn’t believe in the need for such support, suggesting instead that Chicago should focus more on combating crime by itself, a stance widely seen to be insular and non-viable.
Nellis revolved part of his argument around the city’s repeated rejection of Donald Trump, telling Watters that the city had the chance to vote for Trump three times, and each time the now president came up way short. Pointing to this minority sentiment, he rerouted the conversation, suggesting that Trump’s interventionist efforts would be better channelled to ‘red states’.
Prevailing sentiment from Democrat leaders in in Illinois mirrored Nellis’. Illionis Gov JB Pritzker, along with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, had more or less put up a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign for President Trump. At a recent press conference, both leaders requested that the president stay clear of the city’s affairs, casting further doubt on their practicalities.
Johnson offered a seemingly positive view on the city’s crime situation, citing a down-trending homicide rate according to recent data from Chicago Police Department until August 16. In his apparent bid to deflect from real issues, he highlighted that homicides are 25% less prevalent over the past 12 months, compared to the record figures in 2023.
However, on closer investigation, the statistics he’s quoting aren’t as encouraging as they’re purported. The latest data reveals 474 homicides recorded over the past 12 months ending August 16. Alarmingly, with an average annual homicide rate between 2021 and 2023 being approximately 722, this ‘lower’ case citation actually paints a grim picture.
Nellis held his ground, staunchly opposing Watters’ insights, expressing his belief in increasing police numbers in Chicago as a perceived solution to the city’s crime problem. Nellis conveniently glossed over the fact that President Trump’s Republican-led budget cut community police funding by $2 billion, displaying a thorough misunderstanding of the broader budget considerations and constraints.
This particular proposal from President Trump to deploy the National Guard was provoked by a string of high-profile crimes that gained national attention. Trump was forced to trigger Section 40 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act given the escalating situation in Washington, D.C.
Among these crimes, a brutal attack on an ex-staffer of the Department of Government Efficiency and a Republican intern, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, who was tragically shot on June 30, caught national headlines. Despite these high-profile incidents effectively underscoring the need for interference, Democrats continued to resist Trump’s decision, questioning its necessity.
However, a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released recently revealed that a majority of registered voters — a solid 54% — deemed Trump’s methodologies in tackling the rampant crime situation as ‘justified and necessary’. This data pointedly contradicts the Democratic narrative and makes it clear that the majority of voters don’t share the Democrats’ resistance to federal intervention.
US Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro declared that the federal takeover of law enforcement in the nation’s capital resulted in a whopping 1,007 arrests and the confiscation of 111 illegal firearms. The effectiveness of such decisive action serves an impressive example of how beneficial federal interference can indeed be.
This substantial impact was conveniently downplayed by figures like Nellis and Johnson, who continued to oppose external assistance, suggesting a view more political than practical. Their comments pointed to a failed acknowledgment of the challenges, and an unwise persistence in battling its crime problem without external support.
This development is indeed alarming, especially given the disastrous success rate of the Democrats’ strategy in combating crime in cities like Chicago, and their adamant refusal to accept federal assistance. It leaves one questioning whether these leaders are truly concerned about their constituents or more focused on maintaining a political stance against the Trump administration.
Their taking exception to strategic assistance and blindly rejecting effective solutions provide a poor outlook, and it appears that they are forsaking the wellbeing of their constituents to maintain a futile stance. Refusing to see the bigger picture and persisting in their erroneous course of action does nothing but harm the very people they vowed to protect.
In conclusion, the unfounded belief of leaders such as Nellis and Johnson in addressing crime without ample federal aid will only lead to a greater American tragedy if they persist. Their negative stance and ridicule towards federal intervention, while politically expedient for them, is a drastic misstep in maintaining the safety of their constituencies, suggesting that their skewed priorities are, unfortunately, hurting those they’re supposed to serve.
The post Squaring Off with Reality: Nellis and Harris Reject Sensible Policing appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
