U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Wednesday that she fully supports President Trump’s threat to take control of Washington, D.C., if city leaders do not tighten laws around prosecuting juveniles for violent crimes — a move that would represent a rare and controversial federal intervention in the nation’s capital.
In an interview on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Pirro criticized D.C.’s legal system for shielding minors from adult charges, arguing that violent youth offenders in Democratic-led cities are “coddled” instead of held accountable. She endorsed Trump’s push to lower the age of legal responsibility to as young as 14. “I support him totally,” Pirro said. “If that’s what we need to do to get it done, that’s what he should do. And I support the president.”
Pirro, a former Fox News host and New York district attorney, said she spoke directly with Trump on Tuesday — the same day he warned that the federal government could step in if D.C. does not change its laws. “If you’re 14, 15, 16, or 17 years old, you get coddled,” Pirro said. “I can’t charge these people.”
She pointed to a recent case that has drawn attention in the city: the assault of 19-year-old Edward Coristine, a former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency, who was attacked by as many as 10 people during an attempted carjacking just a mile from the White House. Two 15-year-old suspects from Maryland — one male, one female — were arrested, but because they are minors, they will not be tried as adults.
“This young kid who worked at the White House was beaten to a pulp … by a gang of punks,” Pirro said, noting that such cases bypass her office and go directly to family court, where the focus is rehabilitation. “None of them come to my office because they’re not considered criminals.”
Pirro said the current system leaves her unable to respond to violent juvenile crime with meaningful consequences. “If you think that these kids need to be coddled and they need to be hugged — they need to have consequences. They need to understand that enough is enough.”
Pirros’ thoughts on the matter show just how disconnected the Trump administation is from D.C.’s elected leaders over crime policy. The current proposal coming from the White House to federalize the city would be a legal mess, but Pirro said that she thinks now is a time for action. “If you tell me I can’t prosecute a 17-year-old for carjacking,” she said, “then you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
