Judges, defense lawyers and grand jurors poke holes in cases from Trump's DC federal intervention

1 / 2

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

A member of the West Virginia National Guard gazes up at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, as part of President Donald Trump's order to use federal law enforcement to expel homeless people and rid the nation's capital of violent crime, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON – A grand jury refused to indict a man who was captured on video hurling a sandwich at a federal agent. Prosecutors dropped another case after complaints that police illegally searched a man’s satchel and found a gun. Judges, too, have balked at keeping several defendants in jail, citing weak evidence and dubious charging decisions.

President Donald Trump's crackdown on crime in the nation's capital