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I currently serve as DC’s independent, elected Attorney General (AG). Before taking office, I spent three decades as a trial lawyer, including at Venable LLP, where I also served as Firm Vice Chairman and Managing Partner of its Washington office, and prior to that, as a Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Under my leadership, the Office of Attorney General (OAG) has prioritized prosecution of violent juvenile offenses while also focusing on prevention measures, defended DC’s Home Rule, protected taxpayer monies, recovered millions of dollars for workers, consumers, seniors and the environment, protected tenants from slumlords and dangerous housing conditions, and taken on powerful interests, including major corporations, while also providing legal advice to and defense of the District government and its agencies.

This role requires sound legal judgment, skilled management experience, independence, and a deep understanding of our laws. The tangible results that I have delivered to District residents across all eight wards during my first term serve as proof that I am battle-tested and ready to serve a second term.

In a second term as AG, my top three priorities will be to continue making DC safer, stronger, and more affordable. I will continue advancing public safety by aggressively prosecuting violent juvenile offenses, protecting kids from companies seeking to put profits over their safety, holding dangerous MD and VA drivers accountable, and enforcing our environmental laws. I will also make DC more affordable by enforcing our wage theft, antitrust, consumer protection, and housing laws against powerful interests and bad actors. And, I will always fight for DC’s Home Rule and safeguard our autonomy against unlawful federal interference.

I explain that the DC Attorney General is the District’s independent chief legal officer – an office that is separate and independent from the Mayor, accountable to the residents, and with very different responsibilities from the federally-appointed U.S. Attorney.

The U.S. Attorney has sole jurisdiction over most crimes committed by adults in DC, both felonies and misdemeanors. As DC’s AG, I prosecute crimes committed by juveniles and a limited subset of adult misdemeanors. I also defend the District’s laws and agencies in court, protect workers and consumers, enforce civil rights and housing laws, safeguard taxpayer dollars, and serve as the District government’s lawyer.

I do not have authority to set budgets or make policy like the Mayor or Council. My role is to enforce the law fairly, defend the public interest, and ensure that residents are protected from exploitation and abuse.

These responsibilities have guided the work of my first term as AG, and we have used the law aggressively, strategically, and creatively to improve the lives of DC residents. Under my leadership, OAG will continue fighting for DC’s rights and values in all eight wards, using the law to make DC safer, stronger and more affordable for all.

Public safety remains one of my highest priorities as AG, and I believe it must be understood broadly. Public safety certainly includes prosecuting violent juvenile crimes, dangerous driving, illegal gun trafficking, and other offenses that directly threaten residents. Under my leadership, OAG has prosecuted violent juvenile cases, pursued thousands of DUI and reckless driving cases, partnered with Maryland officials to combat illegal gun trafficking, and used the STEER Act to hold dangerous drivers accountable, among other things.

But true public safety is also about whether residents can live in safe housing, breathe clean air, drink clean water, use safe roads, and raise healthy children. That is why my office has sued slumlords over dangerous housing conditions, secured a historic settlement to clean up pollution in the Anacostia River, enforced consumer and worker protection laws, gone after companies that have profited from the opioid epidemic, and taken on Meta and TikTok for designing addictive social media platforms that harm young people’s mental health.

I have also invested in prevention initiatives like the Leaders of Tomorrow grant program and #FutureMeDC. Success means healthier neighborhoods, fewer victims, stronger trust in government, and safer daily lives for residents across all eight wards.

As AG, my approach to juvenile justice has been guided by the law, which requires careful balancing of accountability, rehabilitation, fairness, and public safety. Serious and violent offenses require swift, certain and meaningful consequences. At the same time, reducing recidivism and improving long-term safety requires addressing the underlying, systemic factors that often lead young people into the justice system.

That is why I have supported diversion programs and restorative justice where appropriate, and I proposed the ROAD Act (unanimously passed by the DC Council) to improve rehabilitation services for youth committed to DYRS. The goal is to intervene early and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

I also believe durable reductions in juvenile crime require addressing root causes such as housing instability, untreated mental health needs, trauma, family insecurity, chronic absenteeism, lack of opportunity, financial exploitation and exposure to violence. Public safety is strengthened when young people have stable homes, supportive schools, access to care, and real pathways to success.

At the same time, DC residents deserve confidence that violent conduct will be addressed seriously. My office will continue aggressively prosecuting violent juvenile crime while pursuing evidence-based strategies that improve outcomes and strengthen trust in our juvenile justice system.

Victims and families deserve to feel informed, respected, and heard throughout the legal process. At the same time, under DC law, juvenile proceedings involve extra layers of confidentiality designed to safeguard due process and increase the likelihood of youth rehabilitation.

Under my leadership, OAG has worked to improve victim engagement and communication, and I will continue strengthening those efforts through clearer explanations of how the juvenile system works, dedicated victim support resources, and more proactive communication whenever legally permissible. Families should understand what decisions are being made, what outcomes are possible, and why certain legal limitations exist.

Transparency also requires broader public education. While individual juvenile matters are confidential by law, OAG can and does provide aggregated data about prosecutions rates, the number of cases prosecuted, and a breakdown of the types of violent offenses prosecuted.

Ultimately, as AG, my goal is to ensure that victims and families are treated with dignity and compassion, and that to the maximum extent possible, they are able to find closure, while fully respecting privacy protections, legal ethics, and constitutional due process obligations under the District’s laws, including those that specifically govern juvenile proceedings.

As AG, I take seriously my obligation to exercise prosecutorial discretion fairly, consistently, and based on facts, evidence, and public safety—not politics or public pressure. In every case, OAG attorneys evaluate the seriousness of the offense, the strength of the evidence, prior conduct, community safety concerns, victim impact, and whether a particular intervention is likely to reduce future harm.

For violent offenses or repeat dangerous conduct, prosecution and meaningful consequences are often necessary. Swift and certain accountability and consequences are essential in deterring criminal conduct. In other situations, diversion, treatment, restorative justice, supervision, or community-based interventions may better protect long-term public safety and reduce recidivism.

Public trust depends on transparency, professionalism, and consistency. That means clearly communicating office policies, training prosecutors carefully, using data and evidence to evaluate outcomes, and engaging directly with residents about how these decisions are made.

I also believe accountability matters at the institutional level. As an elected Attorney General, I answer directly to DC voters, and I believe residents deserve a prosecutor who understands the city, knows its neighborhoods, and is accountable to the people who live here.

As AG, I have the critical responsibility to protect the integrity of District government and ensure that public officials, contractors, and agencies follow the law. Public trust depends on the principle that the laws apply equally to everyone – regardless of power or position. This includes aggressively pursuing fraud involving taxpayer dollars, unlawful contracting practices, corruption, false claims, and other misconduct that undermines confidence in government. Under my leadership, OAG has brought enforcement actions against nonprofits, contractors, and entities that misused public funds or exploited programs intended to serve DC residents. Most recently, OAG sued Sequoia Row, a government contractor that fraudulently obtained more than $13 million in contracts reserved for legitimate DC local businesses while also stealing wages from workers.

Just as importantly, I am committed to acting independently—even when doing so is politically difficult or unpopular. Restoring trust requires transparency, independence, and consistent enforcement. As AG, I am committed to following the facts and the law wherever they lead, free from political pressure or favoritism.

As AG, I am charged with upholding the law and protecting the public interest. That includes vigorously defending legally enacted District laws and agencies in court, while also providing candid legal advice when reforms or corrective actions are necessary. These responsibilities are not inconsistent. DC agencies depend on OAG’s honest legal counsel to help them operate lawfully and effectively. Sometimes that means defending agency actions in litigation. Other times it means advising agencies that practices should change to comply with the law, reduce harm, or avoid unnecessary liability.

My guiding principle as AG is independence and allegiance to the law—not politics. I have given the Mayor and the DC Council honest advice even when it is difficult or unpopular. I believe that government and elected officials should work lawfully, transparently, and effectively for residents. That responsibility is especially important now, as the District will experience significant turnover in elected leadership. In a period of transition and uncertainty, DC needs a proven and independent Attorney General focused on accountability and protecting the public interest.

Under my leadership, OAG has used DC’s Consumer Procedures Protection Act (CPPA) and the DC Human Rights Act (DC HRA) to pursue consumer protection and civil rights cases. As an example, using the legal authority of the CPPA, OAG secured a $41 million judgment against the former owners of the Marbury Plaza apartment complex in Ward 8 for putting the lives of more than 2,500 tenants at risk by forcing them to live with chronic water leaks, widespread mold, and a lack of air conditioning, heat, and hot water. Nearly $30 million of that judgment will be returned to harmed tenants.

This historic case is just one example of the very practical ways in which OAG’s work impacts the lives of DC residents. In a second term as AG, I will continue fighting for safer housing, recovery of stolen wages, fairer prices, stronger worker protections, cleaner neighborhoods, and greater accountability for powerful interests that otherwise might operate without consequence. Enforcing these laws also protects honest businesses by ensuring everyone competes on a level playing field. At a time of rising costs, I will continue prioritizing cases that put money back into the pockets of DC residents.

As AG, I am responsible for defending the District’s legal authority, its residents, and its Home Rule when unlawful federal interference threatens our right to govern ourselves. Litigation against the federal government is a serious step, but sometimes it is necessary to protect DC’s autonomy and the rule of law. That is because in America, the law is king and no one is above it.

I evaluate these decisions based on the law and the legal merits, the impact on residents, the likelihood of success, and the long-term interests of the District. In August 2025, when the federal government attempted to seize command and control of MPD, I immediately filed a successful lawsuit to stop the attempted hostile takeover. That swift legal action ensured that our city’s police force remained under local leadership, as legally required under the Home Rule Act.

I have also defended DC laws against federal overreach in multistate litigation and national legal coalitions because DC residents deserve the same protections and rights as residents of any state. Despite DC’s lack of Statehood, I have stood up to unlawful federal actions when necessary while also acting strategically, responsibly, and always in the best interests of District residents.

This is a moment that requires experience, independence, and proven leadership. In my first term, I used every available legal tool to make DC safer, stronger, and more affordable while defending the District against unprecedented federal interference. I encourage voters to examine the large body of OAG’s work under my leadership available in the public domain – press releases, news stories, impact reports, public testimony, and more.

Under my leadership, OAG has vigorously prosecuted violent juvenile offenders, defended Home Rule, recovered millions for workers, consumers and the environment, protected tenants, taken on powerful corporations, and strengthened public engagement across all eight wards. I am also proactive and accessible, and I regularly engage with residents in every ward.

The District is facing its most consequential election since the passage of the Home Rule Act in 1973. In January 2027, the District will have a new Mayor, several new Councilmembers, and a new Congressional delegate, making the steady and experienced leadership of a seasoned Attorney General crucial to the safety and autonomy of DC and its residents.

Ben’s Chili Bowl makes DC feel like home. It is a family business that represents strength, hard work, and kindness. It has been a special gathering place for nearly 70 years, bringing longtime DC residents, students, tourists, and celebrities together for good food and a feeling of belonging. As an elected official entrusted with protecting the rights of DC’s residents, for me, Ben’s stands as a powerful reminder of DC’s resilience and values.

I proudly hail from a multigenerational DC family. My grandfather used to tell stories about swimming in the Anacostia River with his friends, which makes me especially proud of my work holding polluters accountable. My mother and one of my daughters graduated from the same DC high school 59 years apart. And I have a tattoo of the DC flag, with the 202 area code, emblazoned on my right forearm.