Republican doesn’t wear seatbelt in DC ‘because of carjacking’ despite data showing decline

Senator echoes Trump’s claims about crime in Washington DC, disputing statistics showing a drop in car thefts and other violations

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A Republican senator said that he doesn’t wear a seatbelt when he’s driving in Washington DC so he can act more swiftly if he gets carjacked, adding further fuel to repeated rhetoric by the Trump administration that crime is on the rise in the US – despite statistics indicating otherwise.

Markwayne Mullin told Fox News on Wednesday that he avoids buckling up, violating local traffic ordinances, so he can “exit in a hurry”.