President Donald Trump ordered police to increase their presence in the District of Columbia after an attack on a Department of Government Efficiency staffer.
“President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday.
A group of teenagers allegedly assaulted a DOGE staffer, 19-year-old Edward Coristine, early Sunday after attempting to carjack him and a woman.
Leavitt said the nation’s capitol has been “plagued by violent crime for far too long.”
“Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.,” she wrote Thursday. “President Trump is committed to making our nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world.”
Trump has recently suggested federalizing the District, meaning the rule of Washington would be returned to federal authorities.
“We have a capital that’s very unsafe,” Trump told reporters at the White House this week. “We have to run D.C.”