Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is pushing back against claims that the nation’s capital has become too dangerous, saying he regularly strolls around the Capitol and nearby monuments without fear. His comments come just days after President Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C., ordered a National Guard deployment, and began a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Speaking with Aaron Parnas on “The Parnas Perspective,” Schumer dismissed Republican warnings about street violence as political theater, accusing Trump of using crime fears as a distraction. “I walk around all the time… and I feel perfectly safe,” Schumer said, adding, “They’re full of it.” He insisted the real reason Republicans are hammering the crime issue is to deflect from Democratic investigations into Jeffrey Epstein’s network.

Schumer claimed Senate Democrats have been applying pressure on the Epstein matter, using an obscure Homeland Security Committee rule to demand documents. He accused House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump allies of panicking when Democrats targeted Trump’s deputy attorney general for meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell.

But on the streets, crime statistics tell a more complicated story. While the Metropolitan Police Department claims violent crime has dropped 35% since last year, FBI data shows only a 10% decline — and crime levels remain higher than in 2018. Critics note that MPD’s figures exclude certain offenses like felony and aggravated assault, inflating the appearance of improvement. The department’s credibility has also been rocked by the suspension of its police chief over accusations of falsifying crime data, and by the D.C. Police Union’s public charge that crime statistics are being manipulated.

Recent violence has fueled the perception of danger. In June, a gang shooting killed 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym near a Metro station. In May, two Israeli officials were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in what prosecutors allege was a hate-motivated attack. Both incidents occurred in public areas where ordinary residents and visitors could have been caught in the crossfire.

The White House says Trump’s crime crackdown has already made arrests in serious cases involving homicide, firearms, stalking, and narcotics. On the first night of the operation, 850 officers and agents made 23 arrests.

For many D.C. residents, the debate over whether the city is “safe” depends on where you stand — and who’s protecting you. Schumer’s morning walks, critics point out, take place in heavily secured areas near the Capitol, often under the watch of armed security. Residents without that protection are still navigating neighborhoods where violence remains a real risk.

The divide between official claims and lived experiences leaves the city’s safety question unresolved. For now, Trump’s law-and-order campaign continues, Schumer remains publicly unshaken, and Washington’s crime statistics are still being argued over as much as the policies meant to fix them.