Former DNC chair Donna Brazile slams President Biden over D.C. crime bill
Former DNC chair Donna Brazile slammed President Biden over legislation blocking the D.C. Council's move to soften crime laws and said it was a "huge mistake."
Former DNC chair Donna Brazile criticized President Biden on Sunday for saying he won't veto plans to block the Washington, D.C. Council's move to soften crime laws, saying it was a "huge mistake."
"Huge mistake by the president," Brazile said. "The D.C. code is old. It was written in 1901. In some areas, there are no penalties for sexual assault. There’s only three months when you beat up a police officer. So while I understand that some Republicans want to show they’re tough on crime by beating up on the District of Columbia, we deserve statehood."
She argued that D.C. deserved to "get it right."
"There’s a reason he didn’t open his mouth and say something in that House caucus, and that’s because my congresswoman, and yes, she's a little bit in her 80s too, she would have stood up and said, hell no. This is about state rule, this about the D.C. council. The mayor vetoed it, let the mayor and the council work this out. The president should not be engaged in D.C. affairs," she added.
Former DNC chair Donna Brazile slammed President Biden for his decision to not veto legislation that would block the Washington, D.C., Council's move to soften crime laws.
ABC "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos asked Brazile if Biden could afford to have the crime issue "front and center" in 2024.
"It should be front and center," she said. "Because you know what, we have a crime wave and it's not just in blue states, it's in red states, red cities, blue cities. It's a wave that we should stop. When I read the CDC report the other day, about of one-third of teenage girls have considered suicide. We need to have a conversation about mental health, about crime, and look at the wholistic approach and not just pick on one city."
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he agreed that the crime issue was going to be front and center.
"So this is not something that’s going to be able to be handled just by passing the D.C. crime bill. Do I think he should do what he’s doing? I do, but the point is, it’s not going to take the issue off the table," he said.
President Biden waves as he leaves a Nantucket, Massachusetts, fire station to thank first responders during the Thanksgiving Day holiday, on Nov. 24, 2022. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
BIDEN DC CRIMINAL CODE POSITION A ‘GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT,’ DELEGATE SAYS
Biden told Senate Democrats in a closed-door meeting on Thursday that he would not veto legislation blocking the Washington, D.C. Council's move to soften crime laws.
Democrats said they were very frustrated with the president after they were led to believe that he would support the bill.
US President Joe Biden speaks during an anniversary ceremony at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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One Democrat told the Hill on Friday that this was "f---ing amateur hour" and said the White House "f---ed this up royally."
"I support D.C. Statehood and home-rule – but I don’t support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the Mayor’s objections – such as lowering penalties for carjackings. If the Senate votes to overturn what D.C. Council did – I’ll sign it," Biden tweeted on Thursday.
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