District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser had a blunt response for a reporter who asked her if President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington had an impact on her decision not to seek a fourth term.
“It didn’t,” Bowser said during a Wednesday press conference.
Bowser rebuffed questions about how she handled Trump’s National Guard deployment and federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department, giving a nod to the recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb that blocked the National Guard deployment.
“What I know is we faced an unprecedented action by a president, we laid out a way to get out of it, and we got out of it,” Bowser said.
In toeing the line between governing a liberal district and placating a Republican president and Congress this year, the centrist Democrat has frustrated progressive leaders in Washington as Bowser has treaded carefully with her words. However, she told reporters Wednesday that her approach to dealing with Congress and the White House has not varied based on which party holds the power.
When asked if her decision to forgo reelection would allow her to speak up more freely against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the district, Boswer rebuked the notion that she has not been speaking freely over the past several months.
“I am free,” Bowser said. “So the choices I make are not mistakes. I make them for a reason, and the choices I have made I stand behind.”
She acknowledged that if she could make one thing clear, it would be that the use of federal officers in Washington is not new and that federal officers are the ones carrying out immigration enforcement operations, not local officers.
Bowser did not endorse any candidates to be her successor on Wednesday. She also did not rule out running another office.
“I have the best job in Washington,” Bowser said. “I’m the mayor of my hometown, so I’ll leave it at that. Now, if we become a state, maybe I’ll come back and run for governor when we become a state.”
HERE ARE THE TWO NAMES BEING FLOATED AS SUCCESSORS TO MURIEL BOWSER
She did, however, decisively rule out making a bid to represent the district in Congress.
Bowser rejected any idea that she may be interested in replacing Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), saying flatly, with a smile, “I don’t want to be in the Congress,” to a room full of laughs.
