The US Justice Department criticised the District of Columbia Council after council members wrote to state governors asking them to withdraw National Guard troops from Washington. It described the request as politically motivated and ineffective, highlighting a dispute over the Guard’s role in public safety and federal authority in the capital.

The article says the council’s letters sought the recall of troops sent from other states to the nation’s capital. The Justice Department’s response came as FBI Director Kash Patel was reported to have discussed crime in Washington, although the supplied article text cuts off before giving his full comments or figures.