DC College Students Shocked More People Won’t Protest Trump Making City Safer
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Teen thugs allegedly gunned down GOP intern in DC — Pirro announces charges
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, announced charges against two teenagers accused of fatally shooting a congressional intern.
'This killing underscores why we need the authority to prosecute these younger kids, because they’re not kids; they’re criminals.'
Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a 21-year-old University of Massachusetts student and intern for the office of Republican Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas, was killed near D.C.’s Mount Vernon Square in June when a group of people exited a car and opened fire. Two others were injured in the attack, including a 16-year-old.
“The scene involved two rifles, one 9 millimeter, and 79 rounds on the ground,” Pirro said on Friday.
Pirro announced that two 17-year-olds had been arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the shooting. She noted that authorities are also pursuing a third suspect. The teens will be tried as adults.
“[Tarpinian-Jachym] was an innocent bystander who was caught in a violent act that was not meant for him,” Pirro stated. “His death is a stark reminder of how fragile life is and how violence too often visits us in the nation’s capital.”
RELATED: 21-year-old congressional intern killed in triple shooting in Washington, DC
Pirro stated that Tarpinian-Jachym was shot four times.
“The D.C. Council thinks that these kids need to be protected. They don’t need to be protected. They need to be made accountable,” Pirro said. “This killing underscores why we need the authority to prosecute these younger kids, because they’re not kids; they’re criminals.”
Blaze News reached out to the D.C. Council for comment.
Pirro mentioned that violent acts like this are the reason President Donald Trump has launched a law enforcement initiative in D.C. to restore order.
RELATED: DC mayor and AG at odds as lawsuit challenges Trump’s anti-crime operation
“Eric, you didn’t die in vain,” Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym, the victim’s mother, told the Washington Post. “If we would’ve known the city was so dangerous, we wouldn’t have let him go.”
She told the news outlet that listening to President Donald Trump gave her hope.
“Hope that my son won’t just be a statistic. And hope that these changes will mean no other innocent people will get shot,” she added.
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DC mayor and AG at odds as lawsuit challenges Trump’s anti-crime operation
Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., seem divided on President Donald Trump's law enforcement surge aimed at cleaning up the district's streets.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Trump administration for deploying thousands of National Guard troops to the nation's capital.
'This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents and visitors — to undermine the president's highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC.'
"The residents and leaders of the District of Columbia have not requested any of this," the complaint reads. "None of this is lawful."
Schwalb accused Trump of "run[ning] roughshod over a fundamental tenet of American democracy — that the military should not be involved in domestic law enforcement."
"No American city should have the U.S. military — particularly out-of-state military who are not accountable to the residents and untrained in local law enforcement — policing its streets," Schwalb said. "It's D.C. today but could be any other city tomorrow. We've filed this action to put an end to this illegal federal overreach."
He further claimed that the Trump administration authorized the National Guard deployment without Mayor Muriel Bowser's (D) consent. However, Bowser recently thanked the White House for helping the city reduce crime.
"We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what [the Metropolitan Police Department] has been able to do in this city," Bowser stated during a Wednesday news conference.
While she admitted the law enforcement surge had lowered crime, she simultaneously claimed that the presence of federal immigration agents and National Guard troops was "not working," noting that she is "devastated" by residents "living in fear."
RELATED: Trump floats sending federal agents to yet another crime-ridden blue city besides Chicago
The White House called Schwalb's lawsuit an attempt to undermine Trump.
"President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C. to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Signal. "This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of D.C. residents and visitors — to undermine the president's highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C."
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Epstein victims make huge announcement on Capitol Hill: 'We know the names'
A group who say they were victims of disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein held a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday, demanding transparency.
The self-proclaimed survivors voiced support for the Democrat-led Epstein Files Transparency Act, which calls on the attorney general to "release all documents and records in possession of the Department of Justice relating to Jeffrey Epstein."
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who sponsored the bill, appeared with survivors in D.C. alongside Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), as the victims made a shocking revelation.
'It will be done by survivors and for survivors; no one else involved.'
Lisa Phillips, who has spoken extensively about surviving abuse at the hands of Epstein, took the podium at the Capitol to make a series of statements.
"Transparency is justice. Release the files," Phillips stated in one clip from the event.
Phillips has been vocal about her claims recently, saying she was sex-trafficked by Epstein when she was a young model in the early 2000s. However, it was at the press conference that she dropped a bomb.
"Several of us Epstein survivors have been discussing creating our own list of names," Phillips revealed. "We know the names. Many of us were abused by them. Now, together as survivors, we will confidentially compile the names we all know were regularly in the Epstein world, and it will be done by survivors and for survivors; no one else is involved."
RELATED: White House slams Massie's Epstein bill as a 'very hostile act' — some Republicans sign on anyway
As one of 23 co-sponsors, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has filed a petition to force a vote on Khanna's bill in Congress. He would need 218 House members to sign the petition to force the vote, which would likely include all 212 Democrats.
According to BBC, four Republicans have already signed, including Massie himself, Greene, Nancy Mace (S.C.), and Lauren Boebert (Colo.).
In a comment to NBC News this week, the White House slammed Massie's push for the bill to get a vote, calling it "a very hostile act to the administration."
Massie has responded, stating that President Trump "may be covering for some rich and powerful people," according to The Hill.
RELATED: Epstein victims have identified other 'persons of interest,' House Oversight Committee chair says
In comments alongside the Epstein victims, Greene called the fight for transparency "the most important" battle currently in Congress.
"Fighting for innocent people," Greene added, stating that the women she stood with have never received justice.
Greene continued, noting she become aware that Epstein rubbed shoulders with elites in the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.
"Jeffrey Epstein, somehow, was able to walk among the most rich, powerful people, not only in America, but foreign countries," Greene claimed.
She stressed that the scandal is something that should "never happen in America" and that the issue is not something that should drive a political wedge between Republicans and Democrats.
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DC grand juries prove unwilling to indict radicals accused of threatening to kill Trump
Nathalie Rose Jones of Lafayette, Indiana, was arrested in Washington, D.C., last month for allegedly threatening to kill President Donald Trump and transmitting threats across state lines.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for D.C., indicated that "justice will be served"; however, an Obama judge and a grand jury comprising Washington residents evidently had other plans.
'The government may intend to try again to obtain an indictment, but the evidence has not changed.'
U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg, whom Attorney General Pam Bondi slapped in July with a misconduct complaint "for making improper public comments about President Trump and his administration," overruled a magistrate judge last week and ordered Jones' release.
Boasberg told Jones, who recently participated in an anti-Trump protest outside the White House, to drive to New York City and meet with her psychiatrist.
Jones' attorneys revealed in a Monday court filing that a D.C. grand jury declined to indict her.
"The Honorable James E. Boasberg reversed the detention order on August 25, 2025, and released Ms. Jones to home detention," wrote the attorneys. "One of the factors the court considered in determining the conditions of release was the nature of the case and the weight of the evidence. A grand jury has now found no probable cause to indict Ms. Jones on the charged offenses."
"Given that finding, the weight of the evidence is weak," continued the attorneys. "The government may intend to try again to obtain an indictment, but the evidence has not changed and no indictment is likely."
RELATED: If ‘words are violence,’ why won’t the left own theirs?
The Department of Justice noted that among the 49-year-old woman's many alleged threats against the president was a statement on social media indicating a willingness to "sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea."
Prosecutors claimed that Jones — who a friend indicated in a character reference had spent some time in the Army Reserve — also said she "would take the president's life and would kill him at 'the compound' if she had to, that she had a 'bladed object,' which she said was the weapon she would use to 'carry out her mission of killing' the president, and that she wanted to 'avenge all the lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic,' which she attributed to President Trump’s administration and its position on vaccinations."
In recent years, others have been indicted and ultimately convicted for far less graphic threats against Democrat presidents.
'The system here is broken on many levels.'
On Thursday, 20-year-old Troy Kelly of New York was convicted for threatening former President Joe Biden. Kelly said in response to a Biden post on social media that he was "gonna put a bullet in your head if I ever catch you."
Cody McCormick of Kansas was sentenced last year to nearly two years in prison for writing, "I will get a Greyhound bus ticket and go and shoot him," in reference to Biden.
Brandon Correa was sentenced in 2015 to 18 months in prison for posting a social media message directed to former President Barack Obama that said, "Im [sic] coming to watch you die."
Pirro said in a statement to Fox News, "A Washington, D.C., grand jury refused to indict someone who threatened to kill the president of the United States. Her intent was clear, traveling through five states to do so."
"She even confirmed the same to the U.S. Secret Service. This is the essence of a politicized jury. The system here is broken on many levels," continued Pirro. "Instead of the outrage that should be engendered by a specific threat to kill the president, the grand jury in D.C. refuses to even let the judicial process begin. Justice should not depend on politics."
'I'm going to f**k your ass up.'
Blaze News has reached out to Pirro's office for additional comment as well as to the White House and the U.S. Secret Service. When pressed for comment, the USSS referred Blaze News to Pirro's office.
D.C. residents have repeatedly signaled an unwillingness to hold accountable those who allegedly threaten Trump or attack the federal agents keeping their city safe.
DOJ prosecutors recently told a magistrate judge that a grand jury also refused to indict Edward Alexander Dana, who is similarly accused of threatening President Trump, reported the Associated Press.
D.C. police responding to a report of destruction at a restaurant in the northwest of the city arrested Dana on Aug. 17. According to the U.S. Secret Service's affidavit in support of a criminal complaint, Dana allegedly told an officer wearing a body camera that he was affiliated with the Russian mafia and said, "I'm going to find out who you are, where you live, who you're married to, if any. ... I'm going to make sure that many people, not just me, come after you. ... I'm going to f**k your ass up."
The affidavit indicated that Dana then proceeded to threaten Trump's life, allegedly stating, "I'm not going to tolerate fascism. You see, I was adopted [inaudible] to protect the Constitution by any means necessary. And that means killing you, Officer, killing the president, killing anyone who stands in the way of our Constitution."
D.C. grand juries also recently refused to indict:
- Alvin Summers, an individual accused of fleeing from a U.S. Park Police officer who asked to see his identification, then assaulting the officer during a subsequent arrest attempt;
- Sidney Lori Reid, a D.C. resident charged in July with an alleged assault on an FBI agent who was assisting with the transfer of an alleged international gang member at the D.C. Central Detention Facility; and
- Sean Dunn, the former DOJ employee who was caught on video allegedly throwing a submarine sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection officer on Aug. 10.
Trump vows to give Chicago the DC treatment unless Democrat Gov. Pritzker gets his act together: 'We're coming!'
President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that he was federalizing the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., and deploying the National Guard there in order to "re-establish law, order, and public safety."
While Democrats and other liberal pundits reflexively denounced Trump's intervention, their critiques were premature. Since Trump took action, violent crime in D.C. reportedly is down 45%, and carjackings are down 87%.
'He is CRAZY!'
Having demonstrated just how quickly order can be restored with will and determination, Trump now is looking to help other crime-ridden cities across the country.
But during a press conference last week, Democrat Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker criticized the president's efforts to make cities safer, claiming what Trump is doing "is illegal, it is unconstitutional, it is un-American."
"Mr. President, do not come to Chicago," added Pritzker. "You are neither wanted here nor needed here."
But Trump noted in a Saturday evening Truth Social post, "Six people were killed, and 24 people were shot, in Chicago last weekend, and JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just said that he doesn't need help in preventing CRIME."
The president added, "He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming!"
RELATED: DC Dems are furious at Mayor Bowser for admitting Trump's troops are lowering crime
Underscoring Trump's concerns, Chicago kicked off the Labor Day weekend with — you guessed it — another spate of shootings.
Police indicated that as of Sunday morning, at least 32 people had been shot in the city — three fatally — WLS-TV reported. Among the victims was a 43-year-old woman who was approached then reportedly riddled with bullets at the hands of five male suspects.
The Windy City is no stranger to bloody weekends — or weekdays, for that matter.
Chicago Police Department statistics indicate that so far this year there have been at least 266 murders, 1,141 reported sexual assaults, 4,003 robberies, 10,774 motor vehicle thefts, 11,488 felony thefts, and 3,971 burglaries.
Chicago — which has secured the top spot on Orkin's list of America's rattiest cities for the last 10 years — has a 5-rating on Neighborhood Scout's crime index in which 100 is safest.
Yet while Pritzker has criticized the idea of Trump deploying the National Guard to assist Chicago, the city's Mayor Brandon Johnson — who has an approval rating of 26% according to a recent poll by the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation and the National Opinion Research Center, both at the University of Chicago — is especially opposed.
RELATED: 'Stop talking and get to work': Trump blasts Democrat Gov. Wes Moore over Maryland crime
Johnson signed an executive order Saturday "denouncing any attempts to deploy the United States Armed Forces and/or the National Guard and/or militarized civil immigration enforcement in Chicago."
In the order, the unpopular mayor demanded that Trump and agents under his authority "stand down from any attempts" to deploy troops in the city and vowed to ensure the Chicago Police Department remains a locally controlled law enforcement agency under mayoral authority.
'Cracking down on crime should not be a partisan issue.'
Additionally, Johnson said federal agents and troops cannot wear masks while performing their duties.
"We have received credible reports that we have days, not weeks before our city sees some type of militarized activity by the federal government," said Johnson. "We must take immediate, drastic action to protect our people from federal overreach."
The White House reportedly has written off Johnson's executive order signing as a "publicity stunt."
— (@)
"If these Democrats focused on fixing crime in their own cities instead of doing publicity stunts to criticize the President, their communities would be much safer," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to the Independent. "Cracking down on crime should not be a partisan issue, but Democrats suffering from [Trump Derangement Syndrome] are trying to make it one."
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Whistleblower alleges widespread manipulation of DC crime stats, fueling Oversight Committee probe
A whistleblower has reportedly come forward to confirm claims that the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., has been manipulating crime data, a scandal that has led the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to launch its own investigation.
In August, President Donald Trump initiated a federal surge on D.C. streets, citing high crime rates despite the MPD reporting a decline.
'The Committee has obtained credible, alarming information that MPD leadership falsified crime data to deceptively show a decline in violent crime in the District.'
While Trump faces backlash from critics for taking matters into his own hands, a scandal is unfolding regarding whether the police department manipulated the data to make it appear as though crime rates have been declining.
The D.C. Police Union has long accused the MPD of manipulating crime data. Following the union's allegations, the department placed Police Commander Michael Pulliam on paid administrative leave in May. The department is investigating the claims.
"When our members respond to the scene of a felony offense where there is a victim reporting that a felony occurred, inevitably there will be a lieutenant or a captain that will show up on that scene and direct those members to take a report for a lesser offense," Gregg Pemberton, the chairman of the D.C. Police Union, previously explained to WRC-TV.
"So instead of taking a report for a shooting or a stabbing or a carjacking, they will order that officer to take a report for a theft or an injured person to the hospital or a felony assault, which is not the same type of classification," Pemberton added.
RELATED: DC police commander under investigation for allegedly manipulating crime stats
The allegations of underreported crime trace back to 2020 when MPD Sergeant Charlotte Djossou shared internal documents from two cases with WUSA.
The first case involved an alleged assault in which a man was accused of slashing a woman's face and neck with an unknown object. While the alleged attack could have been classified as an "assault with a dangerous weapon," it was instead recorded as a "simple assault." The first offense is a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while the second offense is a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum sentence of six months in jail.
The second case involved an incident where a man was accused of putting a knife to the neck of his partner. This also could have been classified as a felony assault; instead, it was reported as a misdemeanor "simple assault."
The cases were not prosecuted, according to WUSA.
"It's not OK to lie to the community about what's going on around them," Djossou told the news outlet during her 2020 interview. "That's what I saw happening."
"The commanders and the captains get promoted, and they get awards, when the crime stats are low," she remarked.
Djossou filed a lawsuit against the MPD, claiming that she had faced retaliation for disclosing the alleged underreporting to her supervisors. The lawsuit was settled in June.
Djossou stated that reporters have contacted her since, but she "can't talk to them until I retire" because she is "still a sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department."
RELATED: Fact-check: Legacy media’s bogus defense of DC’s safe-streets narrative crumbles under scrutiny
The Oversight Committee announced on August 25 that it launched an investigation into allegations of manipulated crime stats, revealing that a whistleblower had come forward.
According to the whistleblower, the manipulation was "widespread," directed by "senior MPD officials," and potentially impacts all seven patrol districts.
The Oversight Committee sent a letter to the MPD the same day, requesting information to aid its investigation, including the unredacted settlement agreement between the MPD and Djossou.
The committee has requested transcribed interviews with Pulliam and the current MPD commanders for all seven districts.
"Building on President Trump's successful efforts to restore law and order in the District of Columbia, the House Oversight Committee is carrying out its constitutional duty to oversee D.C. affairs and ensure our nation's capital is safe for all Americans," Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) told Blaze News.
"The Committee has obtained credible, alarming information that MPD leadership falsified crime data to deceptively show a decline in violent crime in the District. MPD has a duty under federal law to accurately report crime to the public, and the Committee is now taking action to investigate these allegations and ensure the safety of D.C. residents and visitors is never compromised," Comer stated.
The MPD did not respond to a request for comment from WUSA.
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DC Will Convict Praying Pro-Lifers But Not Activists Who Assault Immigration Officials
Crime will thrive as long as people can assault law enforcement officers on video, be charged, but feel no consequences from the court.Scooter-riding leftist lawyer allegedly spits on National Guard troops patrolling DC streets
President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard members in response to Washington, D.C.'s high crime rates continues to spark pushback from left-leaning critics. Another man is facing felony charges after he was accused of assaulting soldiers patrolling the area.
'President Trump is cleaning it up.'
Scott J. Pichon, a 33-year-old Maryland lawyer, was arrested on Friday and charged with felony assault for allegedly spitting on two South Carolina National Guard members.
The soldiers were patrolling outside Union Station when Pichon allegedly attacked them while riding past on an electric scooter.
Amtrak Police Sergeant Robert Underwood said that he heard Pichon "make a noise like he was coughing up mucus." He stated that he then observed Pichon spit "a mixture of saliva and mucus" on the troops.
One of the National Guard members was struck in the face and the other in the neck, according to a statement of facts.
Pichon was arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday. With no objection from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey released Pichon on his own recognizance.
RELATED: Deranged DC leftist faces consequences for allegedly hurling a Subway footlong at a federal officer
This incident marks the second time in recent weeks that law enforcement arrested an individual for allegedly attacking federal officials stationed in D.C. as part of Trump's effort to make the streets safer.
Sean Charles Dunn, a 37-year-old D.C. resident, was accused of throwing a Subway sandwich at a federal officer earlier this month. Dunn is also facing felony charges.
RELATED: Trump to patrol DC streets alongside law enforcement amid crime crackdown
Since the surge on D.C. streets started, law enforcement has made 1,094 arrests and seized 155 illegal guns, U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro announced on Tuesday.
“Not a single carjacking in over a week. We continue to fight the fight to make sure that people in D.C. are safe,” she stated. “President Trump is cleaning it up.”
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