Bodycam Video Reveals Dramatic Standoff During U.S. Institute of Peace Takeover [WATCH]

More than four hours of body camera video released this week shows the events surrounding a tense standoff at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., during the early months of the Trump administration’s takeover of the agency.

The footage, obtained by News4, captures interactions between Metropolitan Police Department officers, Department of Government Efficiency officials, and staff members of the institute during the confrontation that took place on March 17.

The videos show D.C. police officers communicating with representatives of the Department of Government Efficiency, commonly referred to as DOGE, as they worked to enter the building and remove institute staff members.

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The U.S. Institute of Peace had been targeted by the Trump administration as part of a broader effort to restructure federal agencies. The confrontation followed a previous unsuccessful attempt by DOGE personnel to gain access to the building.

On the day of the incident, the institute’s doors were locked. Only a small group of staff members remained inside, including the institute’s president, Ambassador George Moose, and several attorneys representing the organization, including George Foote.

Foote later described the experience as highly unusual for someone with decades of legal experience.

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“That was terrifying. I mean, I’ve practiced law for a long time and I’ve never seen that sort of confrontation, with police keeping me from going into a client’s property or some other property. It was really disorienting. It was very concerning,” Foote said.

He also reflected on the broader implications of the incident in the months that followed.

“Looking back on it, how that was just a model for the things that have happened since then, of the Minneapolis situation, the federalization of the D.C. police department by the feds,” Foote said. “So, it was a precursor in many ways.”

Metropolitan Police Department officials had previously acknowledged that officers were asked by the U.S. attorney to assist with the takeover effort.

The newly released video provides a detailed timeline of how officers entered the building and allowed DOGE personnel to gain access.

In the footage, MPD Commander Jason Bagshaw is seen meeting outside the building with Kenneth Jackson, the Trump administration’s appointee selected to lead the institute, along with another administration official involved in the operation.

During the conversation captured on camera, Bagshaw discusses the immediate objective of the operation.

“So, the goal right now is to get access to the building and then basically everybody has to go,” Bagshaw said.

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