Trump Restores Federal Death Penalty As Pirro Touts Crime Drop In D.C.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro on Thursday credited President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge with driving steep declines in violent crime, even as activists and local critics clashed with her over immigration enforcement, masked agents, and harsher sentencing policies.
Speaking at a 3rd District Citizens Advisory Council forum — covering neighborhoods including Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Shaw, and Logan Circle — Pirro pointed to striking numbers:
- Homicides down 53%
- Robberies down 59%
- Overall violent crime down nearly 40%
“No one can deny that crime has gone down,” Pirro said. “There is a deterrent effect. People are not as willing to shoot, carjack, or stab. And by the way, do you know what’s up? Stabbings — because we’re taking the guns away.”
Some residents, wearing “Free DC” shirts, pushed back, accusing federal agents of overreach. One protester was escorted out of the meeting after a heated confrontation.
Activist Athena Viscusi told reporters, “It’s like we’re walking in two different cities. She sees a city of lawless people that need to be yanked off the streets, and I see a city of people just trying to go about their lives.”
Trump Restores Death Penalty in D.C.
The forum came on the same day President Trump signed a sweeping executive order restoring the federal death penalty, reversing Joe Biden’s moratorium. The order directs U.S. prosecutors — including Pirro — to seek capital punishment “to the maximum extent practicable” in Washington, D.C., for crimes such as aggravated homicide and the killing of police officers.
“If you kill somebody, or if you kill a police officer, you should know what the punishment is,” Trump declared from the Oval Office.
D.C. abolished the death penalty in 1981, but federal law supersedes local statute. The Justice Department is weighing whether to seek capital punishment in the case of two Israeli Embassy staffers murdered in Washington.
Pirro Defends Tactics, Calls Out “Juvenile Softness”
Pirro defended the use of masked federal agents, saying anonymity is necessary to prevent retaliation.
“My job is to protect. My job is to prosecute. My job is to support those guys. If you would prefer that they not be here, then you’re going to be dealing with the juveniles who are out of control,” she said.
She also pushed for broader authority to prosecute violent juveniles as adults, mocking progressive rehabilitation programs.
“You can’t repeatedly allow young people committing violent crimes to go to ice cream socials and yoga,” Pirro said.
Pirro noted that her office is down more than 70 prosecutors and 150 staffers, and said bipartisan negotiations on additional police resources are underway.
“There is no Republican or Democratic way to protect the people of the District,” she said.
Despite dismissals in some surge-related prosecutions, the numbers point to a dramatic turnaround. Trump and Pirro argue the results speak for themselves — proof that federal toughness is working where soft-on-crime policies failed.