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Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, criticized Democratic leaders for opposing the Trump administration’s crime crackdown in Washington, D.C. and for resisting the possibility of expanding similar efforts to other cities in the country.
Pirro singled out Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker after Chicago experienced one of its most violent weekends of the year.
“This guy Pritzker, he should be ashamed of himself,” Pirro said on “America Reports,” referring to the staggering number of shootings and fatalities. “It is a rejection of your oath to protect the people.”
JEANINE PIRRO SHUTS DOWN REPORTERS QUESTIONING TRUMP’S DC CRIME CRACKDOWN
Armed National Guard members patrol near the U.S. Capitol as security tightens following President Trump’s deployment order. (Getty Images/Tasos Katopodis)
Over Labor Day weekend, at least 58 people were shot in Chicago, eight of them fatally. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of deploying the National Guard to help curb violence in the Windy City, as his administration has already done in the nation’s capital.
But Democratic officials in Illinois strongly oppose federal involvement. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have both rejected Trump’s proposal. In an interview with CBS, the governor suggested the administration’s motives may go beyond crime control, calling the potential deployment of National Guard troops in the city “an invasion.”
“They should understand that he has other aims other than fighting crime. That’s the first thing they should understand,” Pritzker told CBS’s Ed O’Keefe.
“The second is it is an attack on the American people by the president of the United States.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., voiced similar concerns, calling the crackdown “performative political actions.”
A protester holds a sign during a “Workers Over Billionaires” rally on Labor Day in Chicago. (Getty Images/Kamil Krzaczynski)
Pirro strongly rejected those arguments, claiming the crackdown has already delivered results in Washington, D.C.
“Who is entitled to say, crime is low enough and let’s not bother?” she asked.
“Who among us is willing to say I’m willing to have my child shot tonight in Chicago or next weekend?”
PIRRO CALLS OUT DC LAWS LETTING ‘YOUNG PUNKS’ OFF THE HOOK FOR VIOLENT CRIMES
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who had initially pushed back against the deployment, has since acknowledged the improvements brought to her city since the National Guard’s arrival.
In late August, Bowser said the city saw an 87% drop in carjackings over a 20-day span compared with the same period last year.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addresses reporters as President Trump weighs sending troops to Chicago. (Getty Image/ Kamil Krazaczynski)
“We know that when carjackings go down, when use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer. So, this surge has been important to us for that reason,” she said during a press conference.
Pirro has argued that Democratic leaders are resisting assistance and federal involvement simply because it comes from the White House.
“The truth is that these people are about ideology and power,” she said.
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“They should sit with the families of homicide victims. They should talk to the mothers who don’t know if their sons are coming home tonight because of the gunfire that is pervasive.”
“Only President Trump is the one who’s willing to put the resources, the energy, and yes, he has the determination to make this work. And it is working.”