In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement on law enforcement policy, CNN’s senior legal analyst Elie Honig reportedly offered an unexpected defense of President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to address rising crime in the nation’s capital — drawing a sharp contrast with other panelists during a heated discussion on NewsNight Wednesday evening.
As commentators Scott Jennings and Julie Roginsky sparred over the president’s approach, host Abby Phillip interrupted to give the floor to Honig, a former federal prosecutor with years of experience working alongside police departments.
“I’ve worked extensively with police, and I don’t have a problem, tactically, with what Donald Trump is doing here,” Honig began. “It doesn’t have to be the most dangerous place on Earth. Something can be improving, but still really bad. If your house is on fire, and then a third of the fire goes out, it’s less bad, but it could still be an emergency.”
Citing his own experience in Washington, D.C., Honig described the city’s crime situation bluntly. “I work in D.C., it is dangerous there, you cannot deny that,” he said. He pointed to a common law enforcement tactic — surging resources into high-crime areas — as both effective and broadly accepted.
“I’ve been part — we call them task forces,” Honig explained. “They’re applauded across the board, across the political board. I’ve done it in New Jersey, I’ve done it in New York. You take the FBI, you team them up with the Newark PD, what have you, you make a visible presence.”
Honig acknowledged that such operations can have a public relations element but argued that visibility itself has value. “Now, is some of it for appearance and show? Yes, because what it does is A, it assures people, it gives people a bit of confidence and security, and B, it deters people from committing crime. So it’s not going to hurt, and this is a situation that needs to be improved.”
He also dismissed attempts to link the policy to unrelated political grievances over January 6. “I also reject the January 6 argument,” he said, underscoring his own criticism of Trump’s conduct during the Capitol riot.
“Look, I’ve been a 100% unambiguous critic of everything Donald Trump did on January 6. I believe he should have been charged criminally. I believe the pardons were a disgrace. But why does that mean he can’t do anything now to enforce the law to promote public safety?”
Responding to Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who objected to Trump’s involvement, Honig was direct: “Sure, he’s a hypocrite! Fine, he’s a hypocrite! Would you rather have national security out in D.C., where you work, or not?”
Honig’s remarks stand out in a media environment where Trump’s policies on law enforcement are often met with reflexive opposition.
His argument — that a leader’s past controversies should not automatically disqualify them from taking action on urgent public safety matters — reflects a pragmatic approach that some conservatives have long argued is missing from national debates over crime.
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