Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently made false statements about crime rates on "Fox News Sunday." He claimed that crime is down under President Joe Biden, but the data shows otherwise. Buttigieg's attempt to blame former President Donald Trump for rising crime rates is politically dishonest.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's recent appearance on "Fox News Sunday" was marked by misleading claims about crime rates and an attempt to blame former President Donald Trump for rising crime rates. However, the data paints a different picture, undermining Buttigieg's credibility.
Buttigieg stated that crime is down under Biden, but this assertion is contradicted by the facts. Major cities across the country, particularly those run by Democrats, experienced significant increases in crime rates due to progressive "criminal justice reforms" and police defunding.
Pete Buttigieg's Misleading Claims about Crime Rates Undermine his Credibility
As documented in the book "What's Killing America: Inside the Radical Left's Tragic Destruction of Our Cities," these reforms led to a surge in violent crimes, including a 30% increase in the murder rate in 2020. The following year, murders increased by another 4.3%.
Buttigieg's claim that violent crimes were going down under Trump is also misleading. Prior to the implementation of these policies, violent crime rates were indeed declining.
Pete Buttigieg's Misleading Claims about Crime Rates Undermine his Credibility
Democrats' efforts to release criminals early or not book them at all, citing COVID-19 as a pretext, further exacerbated the crime crisis. Numerous cases illustrate this, such as the release of Cornelius Haney, who was later arrested for murdering a 21-year-old woman, and Jerry Crawford, who shot and killed an 18-year-old man days after his COVID-19 release.
Democrats also promoted left-wing political violence by activists, including Antifa, and supported legislation that made it easier for criminals to evade justice. For instance, Washington state banned police vehicular pursuits, and Soros-backed prosecutors in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York downgraded serious felonies.
Pete Buttigieg's Misleading Claims about Crime Rates Undermine his Credibility
As a result, cities like Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Portland experienced record-breaking homicide rates in 2022. Other crimes, such as assaults, organized retail theft, motor vehicle thefts, and catalytic converter theft, also skyrocketed.
Ironically, crime rates were undercounted due to changes in how the FBI collected and reported data. This missing data included information from major cities such as New York, Chicago, and New Orleans.
Pete Buttigieg's Misleading Claims about Crime Rates Undermine his Credibility
However, as public sentiment shifted against these "criminal justice reforms," many cities began to rollback these policies and increase funding for their police departments. This led to a noticeable decline in crime rates in 2023-2024.
For example, the San Antonio Police Department's proactive policing strategy resulted in a 43% decrease in murders. Portland also saw a decline in shootings and homicides after restoring funding to its police bureau.
Pete Buttigieg's Misleading Claims about Crime Rates Undermine his Credibility
While crime rates have decreased from record highs, they remain higher than pre-reform levels. Buttigieg's attempt to present a different narrative is misleading and undermines his credibility.
Democrats should not be celebrating Buttigieg for his baseless claims on Fox News. The hard truth is that their policies led to unprecedented spikes in crime, and only a return to sensible policing measures has begun to mitigate the damage.
Democrats cannot take credit for a crisis that they created, and the data clearly shows that crime rates are far from being where they should be.
