A Washington, D.C., leftist group under congressional scrutiny for activist juror trainings saw an outspoken supporter become mayor-elect on Tuesday.
Democrat Janeese Lewis George won more than 80% of the vote with the endorsement of Free DC, an organization opposing federal control of the district on crime and other issues. The self-described socialist also committed to various Free DC policy priorities in its March candidate questionnaire and promised collaboration with the group if elected.
Free DC and Lewis George’s campaign did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment. Lewis George thanked voters in a Wednesday social media video for supporting “a D.C. we can all afford, a government that works for all of us and a government that cares.”
The GOP-led House Oversight Committee sent a letter requesting documents from Free DC in October about its events teaching D.C. residents on jury nullification, the practice of acquitting criminal defendants for political reasons regardless of whether they are guilty. An August Washington Examiner report exposed a Free DC-affiliated training in which speakers suggested concealing political biases to get past jury selection and sabotage the Trump administration’s cases.
D.C.’s anti-law enforcement lobby
Free DC grew more prominent in August 2025 by protesting in the streets against President Donald Trump’s ongoing public safety operation launched that month. Trump’s directives have brought routine National Guard patrols through D.C. and increased local police cooperation with federal agents, capitalizing on the district’s lack of full autonomy from federal control.
Lewis George and Free DC seek to challenge that control together.
“What I’m hearing from residents, and what I’ve seen myself, is that federal agents are terrorizing people, especially Black and Brown residents,” Lewis George previously said in the Free DC questionnaire. She called the military and Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in D.C. a mistake while backing the local attorney general’s legal battles to “end the occupation.”
Lewis George’s campaign platform included promises to “partner with local grassroots organizations like the DC Democratic Party, Free DC, and DC Statehood Coalition to educate and activate DC residents.” She answered “Yes” to Free DC’s question, “Have you joined Free DC for any of our events or actions?”
The questionnaire also touched on the anti-ICE riots in Minnesota last winter, which led to clashes with federal agents, with two protesters dying from agent-involved shootings. Some scuffles were related to Minnesota’s widespread movement of so-called legal observers purporting to follow ICE activity and alert neighborhoods, according to multiple reports.
“What we see in Minnesota is inspiring,” Lewis George told Free DC. “They have thousands of people actively protecting their
neighbors, working together in real time to turn away ICE agents and help residents stay safe. We have similar citizen activism here already, but it is despite poor leadership.”
“Imagine what it would be like to have a Mayor who was helping to lead the resistance, who is doing everything she can to help neighbors come together to stand up and protect each other,” she added.
Free DC coordinates its juror training with the police-abolitionist group Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, which also received a letter requesting information from House Republicans. Free DC’s website invites viewers to an upcoming screening of “Reimagining Safety” to explore “humane and equitable alternatives” to policing.
Lewis George also ran for mayor with the Democratic Socialists of America’s endorsement after previously winning a D.C. Council seat as a DSA member. The DSA’s national chapter calls for abolishing police and prisons.
INSIDE THE LEFTIST NETWORK WORKING TO SABOTAGE TRUMP’S DC PROSECUTIONS
The Trump administration has defended its D.C. crackdown with statistics showing increased prosecution and lower violent crime since August 2025. Trump threatened over the summer to exert more federal control over D.C. if Lewis George became mayor.
“I will meet with Janeese Lewis George, but must forewarn everyone that Washington, D.C., is again a Safe and Prestigious Community,” Trump said in a June social media post after her Democratic primary victory. “Many people, including myself, have worked long and hard to get it there, and we will not let it be destroyed by a Communist adherent who has no intention to, MAKE WASHINGTON GREAT AGAIN!”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
