Trump prepares federal takeover of D.C. after staffer beating
The identity of the 19-year-old young man involved in the reported incident is Edward Coristine (pictured), famously nicknamed 'Big Balls' by his peers. 'My friend Big Balls is a hero,' wrote Coristine's friend Marko Elez on X, who said he 'took this photo after Edward protected a young woman from an attempted carjacking by 8 thugs near Dupont Circle.' 'Violence like this in the heart of DC is completely unacceptable,' Elez concluded. 'Big Balls' was part of the group of brilliant youngsters working into the night, sleeping on office couches and surviving on pizza and Red Bull as part of Musk's original DOGE crew.
Trump appeared furious by the news. 'Either they are going to straighten their act out in terms of government and in terms of protection or we're going to have to federalize and run it the way it's supposed to be run,' he said. Earlier Tuesday, the president posted his thoughts on the matter on social media, describing crime in Washington, D.C., as 'totally out of control,' especially among 'youths,' who were just 14, 15 and 16 years old.
He said that young people were 'randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent citizens' because they knew they would get released as minors. 'They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it's going to happen now!' Trump said. The president posted an image of the young DOGE employee who was allegedly beaten, with blood streaming down his face.
Further details of the alleged attack were not available as the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C., declined to share specific details about the incident. 'No one who lives in, works in, or visits DC should experience this, it is horrific and disturbing. I cannot comment on specific cases, but know that when MPD brings us cases with sufficient evidence of juveniles who have broken the law and hurt people, we will prosecute them and ensure they face consequences for their actions,' Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
Trump urged officials to change the laws to prosecute violent teenage criminals to prosecute minors as adults. 'Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see,' he wrote. 'If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City.'
Elon Musk also expressed his concerns about the incident on social media, claiming that a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car. 'A Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her,' Musk wrote. 'It is time to federalize DC.'
Earlier in the day, Jeanine Pirro, Trump's new United States attorney for the District of Columbia also vowed to get tough on crime in a video posted from the White House. 'Our job is to get guns off the street, drugs off the street, and take care of those individuals that are threatening and carjacking other people, and that's just what we're going to do,' she said. 'If you don't buy into it, you're going to have to deal with us.'
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