A pro-Trump legal group founded by White House aide Stephen Miller has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking crime records from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, part of an investigation into allegations that city crime statistics have been manipulated.
The America First Legal Foundation (AFL) is requesting a broad range of documents, including internal communications and guidance on changes to crime reporting, as well as any records involving the “falsification or non-publication” of crime data. The request also seeks communications related to Officer Michael Pulliam, placed on administrative leave in May after being accused of altering statistics to understate crime.
AFL’s investigation also cites a Washington Free Beacon report on a settlement with former police sergeant Charlotte Djossou, who allegedly sued MPD leaders in 2020 for misclassifying offenses to lower reported crime numbers.
Trump officials have used the Pulliam case to question the reliability of federal crime data showing violent crime in D.C. at a three-decade low. AFL attorney Will Scolinos said the group is investigating whether official statistics were deliberately falsified to portray the city as safer than it is.
