DC Police Chief accused of ‘Cooking the Books’ on Crime plus Trump Classifies Fentanyl as a WMD

Summary

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The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: DC Police Chief accused of ‘Cooking the Books’ on Crime plus Trump Classifies Fentanyl as a WMD
Date: December 16, 2025
Host: Ben Ferguson

Overview

This episode, hosted by Ben Ferguson, tackles two major, underreported news stories:

1. The DC Police Chief's alleged manipulation of crime statistics to make the city seem safer than it is—what Ferguson repeatedly calls "cooking the books."
2. President Trump’s new executive action classifying fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD), dramatically expanding presidential powers to target drug traffickers and narco-terrorists.

Ben offers direct commentary, amplifies House Oversight Committee findings, and provides contextual background on both issues, while attributing the failures to Democratic leadership and crediting Trump’s tough-on-crime agenda.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. DC Police Chief Accused of Falsifying Crime Statistics

• Investigations and Findings

  • The U.S. Attorney for D.C., Judge Jeanine Pirro, has investigated the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), uncovering “widespread misclassification” of crime reports that artificially lowered reported crime rates.
  • “D.C. authorities were literally artificially deflating crime stats to manipulate the numbers to make it look like DC was safer than it actually was.” (Ben Ferguson, 05:01)
  • The investigation reviewed nearly 6,000 reports and interviewed more than 50 witnesses, revealing a significant number of reports “misclassified, making crime appear artificially lower than reality.” (05:47)
  • Despite the findings, Pirro notes the conduct didn’t rise to a criminal charge but called for internal reforms.

• House Oversight Committee Report

  • House Republicans allege outgoing Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured commanders to underreport crime statistics.
  • "Chief Pamela Smith coerced staff to report artificially low crime data and cultivated a culture of fear to achieve her agenda." (Chairman James Comer, read at 10:19)
  • Commanders were pushed to:
    • Pursue lesser (unreported) charges for serious crimes.
    • Submit certain cases for review to Smith’s office for reclassification.
    • Endure retaliation—including beratement and punishment—if accurate, higher stats were reported.

• Political Implications

  • Ferguson points out: “The D.C. police chief rigged the data. She didn't actually fight crime. She just lied about the crime stats… Not because she was afraid of what was happening on the streets…but so that she could misclassify them so it wouldn't seem as dangerous.” (10:29)
  • Argues that this manipulation paints President Trump’s crime-fighting record in an even better light, since “President Trump has reduced crime even more than originally thought. Since crimes were actually higher than reported, his crime fighting efforts have delivered even more safety.” (06:16)
  • D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser denies any evidence of falsification:
    • “I don't see any evidence of that...when the committee provides me their backup information, information which they haven't… Highly unusual when you're talking about an audit of numbers.” (13:19)

• Bigger Narrative

  • Ben frames this scandal as representative of Democratic leadership “lying and cooking the books,” which he argues is why Trump won the election and is deploying federal resources to fight crime in Democrat-led cities.
  • “This is the Democratic Party, and it's exactly why Donald Trump won the election.” (14:40)

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2. Trump Classifies Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction

• Executive Order Details

  • On Monday, President Trump “classified fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, ramping up his administration's campaign against drug cartels in Latin America.” (15:12)
  • Trump’s quote at the signing:
    • “No bomb does what this is doing. 200 to 300,000 people die every year that we know of.” (16:01)
  • Fentanyl now sits in the same legal category as nuclear and chemical weapons, granting expansive new powers to pursue traffickers and cartels.

• Justification and Context

  • Ferguson underlines the devastating toll: “It is killing, in essence, a plane of Americans every single day. No one in this country would stand for a plane crash every day of innocent Americans crashing to the ground. But that's the equivalent of what is happening at the hands of narco terrorists.” (15:14)
  • The executive order notes that “illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic and that it threatens our national security and fuels lawlessness in our hemisphere.” (16:22)

• Military Component

  • The Trump administration couples the new classification with a military campaign against drug smuggling vessels—destroying over 20 ships and claiming “each...saves 25,000 American lives.” (17:14)
  • There's a “massive military buildup in the Caribbean” involving major naval assets; U.S. aircraft are conducting flights near Venezuela.
  • Venezuela’s government accuses the U.S. of using drug enforcement as a pretext for regime change. The U.S. offers a $50 million reward for info leading to President Maduro’s capture.

• Political Framing

  • Ferguson positions Democrats as defending “terrorists instead of protecting American citizens.” (17:37)
  • He hails the move as “another campaign promise...turned into reality,” emphasizing Trump’s commitment to tackling the fentanyl crisis “by any means necessary.” (18:18)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ben Ferguson on the DC Scandal:

  • “What's easier than actually fighting crime? Well, if you're a Democrat, apparently lying about the crime stats to make it look like you're fighting crime is more important than actually saving American lives.” (05:24)

• Judge Jeanine Pirro’s Finding:

  • “A significant number of reports had straight up been misclassified, making crime appear artificially lower than reality.” (05:47)

• Chairman James Comer on Manipulation:

  • “Chief Pamela Smith coerced staff to report artificially low crime data and cultivated a culture of fear to achieve her agenda.” (10:19)

• Ferguson on Fentanyl’s Impact:

  • “No one in this country would stand for a plane crash every day of innocent Americans crashing to the ground. But that's the equivalent of what is happening at the hands of narco terrorists.” (15:15)

• Trump at Executive Order Signing:

  • “No bomb does what this is doing. 200 to 300,000 people die every year that we know of.” (16:01)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Start of Content / Main Stories Begin: 02:57
• Intro to DC Crime Stats Scandal: 05:01
• Details from House Oversight’s Fox News Segment: 09:08
• Further Fox News & U.S. Attorney Reaction: 11:55
• Mayor Bowser Denial: 13:19
• Transition to Fentanyl / Trump Executive Order: 15:12
• Trump’s Quotes, Executive Order Details: 16:00 - 16:30
• U.S. Military Campaign & Political Fallout: 17:00 - 18:18

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Tone & Style

• Ben Ferguson delivers the episode in a sharp, combative tone, frequently criticizing Democratic leadership and praising President Trump’s decisive actions.
• The language is direct and loaded: words like “cooking the books,” “culture of fear,” “artificially deflating stats,” and “narco terrorists” are repeated for emphasis.
• Ferguson highlights what he sees as media and Democratic failures, positioning his coverage as truth-telling against mainstream neglect.

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Summary prepared for listeners who wish to stay informed on the latest alleged political scandals and policy developments, especially those not widely covered by the mainstream media.

Transcript

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[A]

On Brown University. Mr. President, do you know what the motive of the shooter was? Is it?

[B]

No, we don't.

[D]

That's moving along now and we don't and we'll we're going to see what happens. Hopefully they're going to capture this animal.

[B]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

[D]

Good Tuesday morning. It's so nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. And we've got two big stories for you that are not being covered by the mainstream media. First up, the United States attorney for the District of Columbia, Judge Jeanine said that her office has an investigation into the Metropolitan police department of D.C. and it has revealed widespread misclassification deliberately of crime stats that made Washington, DC's crime levels appear lower than they actually were. How did they do it and how bad was the fraud will expose it all for you. Also, the President, United States of America, taking a major step to save many American lives, classifying fentanyl now as a weapon of mass destruction. So what does this mean for what he can do now to narco terrorists? It's going to give the president even more power to go after them. And we'll break it down for you. But first, I want to tell you about an amazing opportunity right now that I'm involved in and I cannot wait for you to take advantage of it. I want you to take some incredible courses at Hillsdale College for free. You may not know this, but Hillsdale College has been influencing conservatives like myself for decades. They had a huge impact on Charlie Kirk's life. And even as memorial service, they talked about how Charlie took took class after class after class at Hillsdale College. Hillsdale College is now offering for you, the listeners of this show more than 40 free. I want to say that again, free online courses. That's right. More than 40 free online courses. You can learn about the works of C.S. lewis, the stories in the Book of Genesis, the meaning of the US Constitution, the rise and fall of the Roman Republic, or the history of the ancient Christian church, all with Hillsdale College's free online courses. Right now, I'm personally taking the Constitution 101. In this course, you're going to explore the design and the purpose of the Constitution, the challenges it faced during the Civil War and how it has been undermined for more than a century by radical progressives and liberals. This 12 lecture course is self paced. It's another reason why I love it. So start whenever and wherever in our country. We need more Americans like you and I that understand the Constitution and can defend the freedom of the American people against the left and their increasing encroachments on our God given rights. So start your classes today for free. Start your free Constitution 101 course right now. How do you do it? Go to Hillsdale Edu Morning Update to enroll and it's no cost. It's easy to get started. You got to use a special website. Hillsdale Edu Morning Update Enroll for Free Hillsdale EDU MorningUpdate. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now. Story number one, what's easier than actually fighting crime? Well, if you're a Democrat, apparently lying about the crime stats to make it look like you're fighting crime is more important than actually saving American lives. We now know that is exactly what was happening in Washington, D.C. the U.S. attorney, Judge Jeanine, said that D.C. authorities were literally artificially deflating crime stats to manipulate the numbers to make it look like DC Was safer than it actually was. That's right, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia saying that her office's investigation into the Metropolitan Police Department revealed widespread misclassification of crime reports that made D.C. crime levels appear lower than they actually were, meaning fewer victims. The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia revealed in a statement posted to her official X account that In August of 2025, the United States Attorney's office in D.C. began an investigation into the Metropolitan Police Department's reported deflation of crime statistics. The need for accurate information to fight crime, she went on to say, is essential. But that wasn't what Democrats were doing at all in D.C. they just wanted to lie to the people while crime was out of control, saying it's not as bad as you think it is. She went on to say this after review of almost 6,000 reports and the interview of over 50 witnesses, it is evident that a significant number of reports had straight up been misclassified, making crime appear artificially lower than reality. Now the uncovering of these manipulated crime statistics make clear that President Trump has reduced crime even more than originally thought. Since crimes were actually higher than reported, his crime fighting efforts have delivered even more safety to the people of the District of Columbia. Judge Jeanine concluded that, quote, while the conduct did not rise to the level of a criminal charge, it is up to the MPD to take steps to internally address these underlying issues. Even more about this has broken since then and the jaw dropping report has just come out from the House just to confirm what we all knew. The left wing D.C. police chief falsified crime statistics cooking the books to make her city seem much safer than it actually was. Take a listen to this from Fox led House Oversight Committee now releasing a report accusing the outgoing D.C. police chief of manipulating data to artificially lower crime statistics. Bill Malusian looking at the numbers. He's live on the Hill with this. Bill, what you find out?

[B]

Bill, good morning to you. Those House Oversight Committee Republicans say the bottom line of what their investigation found is that the outgoing D.C. police chief was essentially cooking the books on crime data and trying to make the city seem a whole lot safer than it really was. Now, those House Republicans say what their investigation consisted of was interviewing all seven commanders of D.C. metro Police's patrol districts, including a former commander who's currently suspended for alle tampering with crime stats in his own district. And these are some of the conclusions they've made. In their report, they allege that D.C. metro Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured commanders to report lower crime stats by any means necessary. The commanders testified that Chief Smith even pushed them to pursue lesser charges that aren't publicly reported, even for serious crimes. And she required certain crimes to be reviewed by her office. Now, the report also says police commanders testified that Chief Smith punished them and retaliated against them if they tried to report accurate rising crime data, even berating them in meetings and individually to pressure them into reporting those lower crime figures. Now, in a statement on the report, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says, in part, Chief Pamela Smith coerced staff to report artificially low crime data and cultivated a culture of fear to achieve her agenda.

[D]

A culture of fear to attend. To attain her agenda. The D.C. police chief rigged the data. She didn't actually fight crime. She just lied about the crime stats. Pressuring the commanders to report lower crime statistics, push them to pursue lesser charges for serious crimes, required certain crimes to actually be reviewed by her office. Not because she was afraid of what was happening on the streets in the District of Columbia. No, no, no, no, no. So that she could misclassify them so it wouldn't seem as dangerous. And retaliated and punished individuals if they reported crimes accurately. You look at this data and you hear what I just played for you. It is sh shocking to know that this was how things were being run. We found out even more from Fox News Channel about all of this in a later report in the afternoon. Take a listen. All right. And moments ago, U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro here in Washington, D.C. responding to allegations the D.C. crime data was manipulated by the outgoing police chief, Pamela Smith. That claim coming from a new House Oversight Committee report. Our congressional correspondent Bill Maloney with the latest on Capitol Hill. Bill?

[B]

Well, John, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee say their investigation concluded that this outgoing D.C. police chief was trying to make the city seem a whole lot safer than it really was. And she was doing it by allegedly cooking the books on crime statistics. So the Republicans on the committee say their investigation consisted of interviewing seniors. Seven different D.C. metro Police commanders who represent all of the patrol districts out here that included a former commander who's currently suspended for allegedly tampering with crime stats in his own district. And these are some of the conclusions they've made in their report. Number one, they allege that D.C. metro Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured commanders to report lower crime stats by any means necessary. Commanders testified that Chief Smith was pushed them to pursue lesser charges that aren't publicly reported, even for serious crimes. And she also required certain crimes to be reviewed by her office. In a statement on this report, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says in part, Chief Pamela Smith coerced staff to report artificially low crime data and cultivated a culture of fear to achieve her agenda. Chief Smith's decision to mislead the public by manipulating crime stats is dangerous and undermines trust in both local leadership and law enforcement. Meanwhile, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser was asked to respond to the House Oversight Committee Republicans findings earlier this morning. Take a listen.

[A]

I don't see any evidence of that if the claim is, and I don't think anybody has demonstrated that the police chief directed anybody to change numbers when those. When the committee provides me their backup information, information which they haven't. When the committee provided the report to the Washington Post before they provided it to us. Highly unusual when you're talking about an audit of numbers.

[B]

And John, just Moments ago, the US Attorney here in D.C. jeanine Pirro, responded to this report. She put out a statement on X which essentially says that yes, these crime stats were manipulated and the manipulation of that data shows that President Trump has reduced crime here in D.C. a whole lot more than initially thought. She went on to say that what happened here with the crime stats does not rise to the level of any criminal charges or a crime, but that the D.C. police Department has to change their practices moving forward. Send it back to you.

[D]

Yeah, I know that before everything changed in the summer, we were all hearing, well, the crime is down in D.C. and none of us had anything to peg that to. None of us had any of that to peg it to. So the D.C. police chief manipulating the crime data, artificially lowering the crime stats and coerced staff to report low data and cultivated a culture of fear to achieve her agenda and didn't punish the criminals, she punished the D.C. police officers to pursue lesser charges for serious crimes. This is the Democratic Party, and it's exactly why Donald Trump won the election. It's also exactly why he's fighting crime all over the country and sending in the National Guard, because even in cities where Democrats claim crime was dropping, they were flat out lying and cooking the books.

[B]

Now, story number two.

[D]

President Trump has made it very clear that he believes that fentanyl is a national security threat. It is killing, in essence, a plane of Americans every single day. No one in this country would stand for a plane crash every day of innocent Americans crashing to the ground. But that's the equivalent of what is happening at the hands of narco terrorists. Now, Donald Trump is moving forward with an idea of classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. That's right. President Trump sang on Monday that he was classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, ramping up his administration's campaign against drug cartels in Latin America. Quote, no bomb does what this is doing. 200 to 300,000 people die every year that we know of, Trump said at the signing of an executive order that placed fentanyl in the same category as nuclear and chemical weapons. In 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an estimated total of about 80,000 overdose deaths in the country, with some 48,000 of those due to synthetic opioids. The executive order said illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic and that it threatens our national security and fuels lawlessness in our hemisphere and at our borders. The fentanyl classification ties in with the Trump administration's war against alleged narco terrorists, which has included a military campaign targeting drug smuggling boats with strikes that have left nearly 90 people dead since early September. While Trump argues that destroying each of the more than 20 intercepted vessels saves 25,000American lives, the left is furious that the president would actually go after boats carrying cocaine and fentanyl and other synthetic opioids driving the overdose crisis. Leave it to the Democratic Party to defend the terrorists instead of protecting American citizens. Trump is a company that strikes with a massive military buildup as well in the Caribbean that includes the world's largest aircraft carrier and a slew of other warships, while a string of US Military aircraft have flown along Venezuela's coast in recent weeks. Now, while Trump and his administration say the target of the military buildup is drug trafficking, Venezuela's radical narco terrorist leader Maduro is accusing Washington of using narcotic smuggling as a pretext for what he says is regime change in Caracas. The United States has sought to link the two issues and Donald Trump is leading on it, accusing Maduro of leading the alleged cartel of the Suns, which is declared a narco terrorist organization, and now offering a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro's capture. So this is yet again another campaign promise. It has now turned into reality. President Trump said he was going to do everything he could to keep Americans safe from fentanyl, and this is one step forward and classifying the drug in a way that now allows them even more authority to go after those that are selling it, those that are shipping it, and those that are producing it.

[B]

Thank you for listening to the 47.

[D]

Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever.

[B]

You'Re listening to this podcast right now and for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and.

[C]

We will see you back here tomorrow.

[A]

10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract worth $250,000. This is where mindset comes in. Someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down.

[C]

Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th Watch the trailer on trainergames.com Season 2.

[A]

Of Unrivaled Basketball is here and the talent is unreal. The best women's players on the planet are running it back with even bigger moments and bigger stakes. Don't miss as Paige Becker, Snafeeza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more. Take the court and redefine the game. This isn't your regular season. This is unrivaled, where the pace is faster, the energy is higher and every athlete shines. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max. It's the most wonderful time of the year and Valpak is here to make it even better this month as you sift through holiday mail, don't miss the blue Valpak envelope. From dining to holiday shopping, there's a slate full of savings in your mailbox, plus a chance to instantly win $100. That's right, you can find $100 Christmas cash inside. Want to save even more money on what you love? Go to valpak.com for local coupons and offers. It pays to open Valpak. No purchase necessary for instant win voip where prohibited prices are randomly inserted, see specially marked Valpak envelopes for details.

[D]

How are USDA staff cuts and budget challenges affecting farmers?

[E]

My dad and I both have a CSP contract but staff can't check the fields to approve them for us to get paid. We're going through a very bad economic time. If we don't have the funds to support our conservation practices, we're going to see a major drop off in producers. I don't know guys, this is scary. I got a young family, a young business and have no idea what's going to happen.

[D]

Protect conservation funding and staff that supports farmers paid for by Invest in Our.

[C]

Land the world's best ski and snowboard athletes are chasing medals. Now you can follow their every move. Join Insider, the official US Ski and Snowboard fan loyalty program, and get premium viewing at World cup ski events, exclusive athlete meetups, discounts from brands you love, and a custom welcome gift mailed direct to your doorstep. This winter, show your support as they race for the podium. Head to Insider, usski and snowboard.org and join today.

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.