US Attorney for DC resigns as crime hits 50-year low ahead of Trump's inauguration

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves on Monday announced his plan to step down from his role in the days before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

Graves, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, has served in the role for more than three years. He said that he will leave his post on Jan. 16.

He had come under fire from Republicans and Democrats as crime rose in D.C. after the pandemic. Several high-profile assaults and thefts made crime a bipartisan focal point for the district: A congressman was held at gunpoint and carjacked, and a congresswoman was assaulted in her apartment building.

Despite the criticism, Graves oversaw initiatives that significantly reduced crime in the District.

"District of Columbia will have, in 2024, the least amount of total violent crime it has had in over 50 years," according to the Office of the Attorney General.

Graves' office implemented a systematic review of data targeting violent offenders, gun and drug-related violence, and determining which cases should be taken up for federal prosecution.

City leaders, including Graves, noted that a small group of people were the primary cause of much of the violence a focus that contributed to a 35% year-over-year decrease in violent crime in 2024.

When Graves was sworn in, he inherited a significant backlog from the pandemic of more than a thousand felony cases, the aftermath of the removal of the accreditation of the D.C. forensic lab, and a record number of motions from defendants seeking early releases. By 2023, his office had successfully cleared the backlog.

This progress occurred as Graves led the largest investigation ever conducted by the Department of Justice to address the aftermath of the deadly attack at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Under his tenure, 1,600 people were charged for the attack and nearly 1,100 were sentenced.