Warner: Handling of Crime Might Have Cost Dems the House, D.C. Bill ‘Doesn’t Pass the Smell Test’

During portions of an interview with NPR aired on Wednesday’s broadcast of “Morning Edition,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) stated that provisions in the District of Columbia crime bill to soften penalties for carjacking “doesn’t pass the smell test” and that if people had done a better job of handling the crime issue, Democrats might have been able to retain the majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections.

NPR Political Correspondent Susan Davis stated that Warner “noted hundreds of thousands of Virginians cross into the District daily, where crime rates are on the rise, and their safety is an issue for him.”

She then played a clip of Warner saying, “If we were to somehow send a message that, all right, we’re going to lower the penalty on carjacking, that doesn’t pass the smell test.”

In another part of the segment, Davis stated, “Warner conceded that the politics around crime are difficult for Democrats and that it could have been a deciding factor against them in the 2022 elections.”

She then played a clip of Warner saying, “I think there might be a Democratic House if folks had handled the crime issue differently.”

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