Revision Gives Muir Statement A Second Look
The Biden administration is facing mounting scrutiny over its handling of crime statistics, with revelations that the FBI quietly revised its 2022 data to show a significant increase in violent crime.
This comes after months of claims by both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris that crime rates were declining—a narrative that was reinforced by several mainstream media outlets. Former President Donald Trump, throughout his 2024 campaign, has consistently tied rising violent crime to the surge in illegal immigration, a claim that the revised FBI data appears to bolster.
Earlier reports indicated a drop in violent crime by 2.1% for the 2022-2023 period. However, a “stealth edit” uncovered by RealClearPolitics revealed a reversal: violent crime actually increased by 4.5% during this time. The adjustment in crime statistics aligns with Trump’s assertions during recent campaign events, where he has warned about skyrocketing crime and linked it to what he calls “migrant crime.” Trump pointed to tragic examples, such as the killings of Georgia college student Laken Riley and a 12-year-old Texas girl, both allegedly committed by recent migrants.
The FBI’s quiet revision has sparked controversy, particularly because the agency did not highlight this significant change in its official press releases. Instead, a vague update was posted online, leaving the discovery of the data shift to diligent researchers and reporters. Carl Moody, a crime specialist from the College of William & Mary, criticized the FBI’s lack of transparency, calling the data difficult to trust without clear explanations. Similarly, Dr. Thomas Marvell, president of Justec Research, voiced concerns that these major changes, made without public clarification, undermine confidence in the FBI’s crime reporting.
Trump was right https://t.co/87neGuNLqL pic.twitter.com/t7btwZF8uk
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) October 16, 2024
In the revised figures, the FBI now reports an increase of over 80,000 violent crimes in 2022 compared to the previous year. This includes nearly 1,700 murders, more than 7,700 rapes, 33,459 robberies, and over 37,000 aggravated assaults. These revelations are particularly concerning given that the media and the Biden administration had leaned on earlier, now-retracted reports suggesting a decline in violent crime.
The shift in crime data reflects a broader trend of revisions across Biden-era agencies. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor has similarly been adjusting job creation numbers downward, with over 818,000 fewer jobs than originally reported. These corrections, often made months after initial announcements, have raised questions about the transparency and reliability of the administration’s statistics in key areas like public safety and employment.
Trump has seized on these developments, using them to amplify his message that Biden’s policies—particularly on immigration and crime—are failing Americans. In a September 10th debate, Trump stated emphatically that crime was up, accusing the Biden administration of being out of touch with the realities facing Americans, particularly in communities where illegal immigration has surged. Despite immediate fact-checks from debate moderator David Muir and Vice President Harris’s visible disagreement, Trump’s claims now appear more credible in light of the FBI’s revised data.
As for the media, outlets like USA Today, which had previously reported on a supposed drop in violent crime, have yet to address the updated statistics. The FBI’s delay in publicizing the revision has further fueled frustration among analysts and critics who argue that transparency in crime reporting is crucial, particularly in an election cycle where law and order are hot-button issues.