US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro says DC Council is soft on juvenile crime
President Donald Trump s administration is taking aim at youth crime in the District U S Attorney for D C Jeanine Pirro is harshly criticizing the D C Council for what she says is being soft on juvenile offenders More stories Two DC teens arrested in congressional intern s fatal shooting Judge upbraids prosecutors for handling of DC surge cases saying they have no credibility left Hundreds of additional National Guard personnel coming to DC Pirro s remarks come as a key member of Congress is introducing rule to take back various of the city s home rule powers especially when it comes to law enforcement She made her remarks at a Friday news conference announcing the arrest of two teenagers on murder charges in the killing of a congressional intern who was struck by stray bullets during a shooting in the nation s capital The D C Council has coddled young criminals for years Pirro noted Everything we do the D C Council is looking to change to benefit the criminal They reject mandatory minimums that the law requires they don t force judges to follow the law They have sometime called youth rehabilitation and incarceration reduction as well as record sealing Pirro is calling on Congress to change the law so people as young as who are charged with violent crimes are prosecuted by her office instead of D C Family Court The D C Council thinks that these kids need to be protected They do not need to be protected They need to be made accountable and we need to be protected she reported I am advocating and have advocated for jurisdiction over juveniles and Eric Tarpinian-Jachym of Granby Massachusetts was fatally shot on the night of June near the Mt Vernon Square Metro station in Northwest D C Both individuals in his killing Kelvin Thomas Jr and Jailen Lucas are years old but are being charged as adults with first-degree murder while armed according to Pirro It s bad enough to be gunned down on any street but to be gunned down in our nation s capital is an outrage she explained Tarpinian-Jachym was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst He was in D C to work as a summer intern in the office of Rep Ron Estes R-Kansas In July the House observed a moment of silence after Estes paid tribute to Tarpinian-Jachym calling him a dedicated and thoughtful and kind person who loved our country House panel sets target on DC s Home Rule Act Meanwhile House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer a Kentucky Republican says the committee will mark up a bill next Wednesday that strips away particular of the city s Home Rule Act specifically when it comes to crime criminal sentences and police enforcement President Trump and House Republicans are committed to restoring law and order in our nation s capital city Under President Trump s decisive leadership crime in D C is now falling at an unprecedented rate Comer mentioned in a comment announcing the markup The House Oversight Committee stands ready to back the president s swift action by advancing comprehensive legislative reforms that empower District law enforcement and tackle the escalating juvenile crime emergency head-on Every resident and visitor deserve to feel safe in our capital and together with President Trump the Committee will fulfill its constitutional duty to oversee District affairs and make D C safe again Among other things it changes the mandatory minimum sentence guidelines when it comes to first- and second-degree murder rape first-degree sexual abuse kidnapping carjacking and first-degree burglary It would also lower the city s definition of a youth from to under trying people that age as adults Additionally it would remove the discretion of judges to sentence youth offenders to sentences below the mandatory minimum Comer mentioned the provision would ensure a safe and prosperous D C adding that other looming changes to the city s Home Rule Act could include Establishing a uniform -day congressional review period for all D C Council law Eliminating the ability of the D C Council to extend urgency laws in perpetuity Providing a line-item veto of D C Acts in congressional resolutions of disapproval Prohibiting D C Council from withdrawing ordinance from the congressional review process and passing substantially similar laws to bill that was successfully disapproved by Congress Providing clear and concise expedited consideration procedures for resolutions of disapproval in both the House and Senate to avoid the window of congressional review closing before both chambers may act on the resolution WTOP s Scott Gelman contributed to this overview Source
