President Donald Trump is threatening a federal takeover of Washington, DC after a violent attack on a prominent former official from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was tasked with slashing federal bureaucracy, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Edward Coristin, known by his nickname ‘Big Balls’, was assaulted around 3 am on Sunday in Logan Circle. According to police, a group of teens attempted to carjack him and his significant other. Coristine reportedly pushed the woman into their vehicle to protect her and confronted the group, only to be beaten until police officers nearby intervened, the report said.
According to the report, two 15-year-olds from Maryland were arrested and charged with unarmed carjacking. The case remains under investigation, with the Metropolitan Police Department recently suggesting that more suspects may be involved in the incident.
Trump Says ‘We Will Have No Choice’
The incident reignited Republican criticism of the US Capital’s handling of crime, with President Trump, in a Truth Social post and public remarks on Tuesday, saying, “If DC doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they are not going to get away with it anymore.”
Notably, this is not the first time Republicans have used violent incidents in DC to criticise Democratic city leadership and push for greater federal oversight.
DC Crime Picture: More Nuanced Than It Seems
While DC officials acknowledge that youth crime, especially carjackings, remains a problem, they also pointed out that the overall violent crime is down over 25% compared to last year, as reported by AP.
Yet, carjackings involving juveniles continue to make headlines. Just last year, a 14-year-old was charged with killing a Lyft driver in another carjacking gone wrong.
The Bigger Battle Over DC Autonomy
Washington DC, analysts say, is vulnerable to federal intervention because it’s not a state., and therefore often ends up becoming a political football in national debates over crime, policing and governance.
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