Harmeet Dhillon, who serves as the U.S. assistant attorney general for the civil rights division, said a homeless person attempted to rob her in Washington D.C. “A malodorous homeless person attempted to swipe my phone today while I was walking in DC back to the DOJ from an appointment — but he was not in his right mind and I artfully dodged the attempt,” Dhillon said. “It’ll be a while till things feel safe in this city, so everyone stay alert!” she added. A malodorous homeless person attempted to swipe my phone today while I was walking in DC back to the DOJ from an appointment — but he was not in his right mind and I artfully dodged the attempt. It'll be a while till things feel safe in this city, so everyone stay alert! — Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) August 12, 2025 Our friends at The Gateway Pundit shared an account of the attempted robbery: The Gateway Pundit’s White House Correspondent Jordan Conradson chatted with Harmeet Dhillon near the White House shortly before the attempted robbery on Tuesday afternoon. A homeless man harassed Harmeet Dhillon and Jordan Conradson. The vagrant verbally accosted Harmeet Dhillon and demanded that she hand over her water bottle. Shortly thereafter, Harmeet Dhillon was almost robbed as she walked from an appointment to the DOJ. The attempted robbery follows President Trump invoking the D.C. Home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploy the National Guard. President Trump Announces “Liberation Day” In Washington D.C. Trump called it “Liberation Day in D.C.” “We’re going to take our capital back,” Trump said. Check it out: ? President Trump announces he is invoking the D.C. Home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploy the National Guard. "This is Liberation Day in D.C. — and we're going to take our capital BACK." pic.twitter.com/aqov60mrCW — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 11, 2025 “Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today! Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN,” Trump said. "Washington, D.C. will be LIBERATED today! Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR. I will, MAKE OUR CAPITAL GREAT AGAIN... Thank you for your attention to this matter." - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/ymFYPsxUYI — The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 11, 2025 Trump announced he would deploy 800 National Guard members in the nation's capital. "Trump just activated 800 DC National Guard soldiers to patrol the capital. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed off on the six-week deployment starting Tuesday. The mission? Protect federal property and back up law enforcement through September 25," Mario Nawfal wrote. "Title 32 orders mean these troops answer to Trump directly but can't make arrests. Think security detail, not police force. After years of chaos in the nation's capital, someone's finally putting boots on the ground to keep order," he added. TRUMP DEPLOYS 800 NATIONAL GUARD TO SECURE DC STREETS Trump just activated 800 DC National Guard soldiers to patrol the capital. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed off on the six-week deployment starting Tuesday. The mission? Protect federal property and back up law… https://t.co/xBUKGKouat pic.twitter.com/GwS6YfQvVA — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 12, 2025 More from the Associated Press: Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged to work alongside the federal officials Trump has tasked with overseeing the city’s law enforcement, while insisting the police chief remained in charge of the department and its officers. “How we got here or what we think about the circumstances — right now we have more police, and we want to make sure we use them,” she told reporters. The tone was a shift from the day before, when Bowser said Trump’s plan to take over the Metropolitan Police Department and call in the National Guard was not a productive step and argued his perceived state of emergency simply doesn’t match the declining crime numbers. Still, the law gives the federal government more sway over the capital city than in U.S. states, and Bowser said her administration’s ability to push back is limited.