The Biden administration expressed worry on Monday about escalating crime rates in Washington, D.C. and across the country. This statement follows an incident on Sunday where Secret Service agents shot at people trying to break into a vehicle parked outside the D.C. home of President Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi Biden.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refrained from answering questions regarding the incident and referred any inquiries about security to the Secret Service. However, when pressed about increasing crime in D.C., she provided a response.
“So we are definitely concerned about what we’re seeing and not just here but across the country, obviously,” Jean-Pierre told reporters, noting that rising crime was a major impetus behind President Joe Biden’s shepherding of the American Rescue Plan through Congress before shifting blame to Republican lawmakers.
“The president has taken actions. He would like to do this in a bipartisan way with Republicans on the other side up in Congress, and they haven’t done that,” she stated. “They’ve used this as a political weapon, as a political talking point, while the president has taken action to make sure our communities are safer.”
“Are we concerned? Obviously,” Jean-Pierre closed. “We want to make sure Americans and their families feel safe in, not just here in D.C. but across communities, but we can’t do this alone.”
Later in the briefing, Jean-Pierre declined to say if the president had spoken to his granddaughter following Sunday’s incident.