A prominent member of the Department of Government Efficiency was beaten in an attempted carjacking in Washington this week, prompting President Trump to renew his threat of a federal takeover of the city.
The victim was Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old software engineer known by his online sobriquet, Big Balls, according to the police, who said he was surrounded and attacked by 10 young assailants outside his car.
In a social media post on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Trump shared a photograph that appeared to show Mr. Coristine lying in the street bleeding, battered and shirtless, writing that crime in the nation’s capital was “totally out of control,” though the city’s crime rates have been falling.
“If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City,” he said.
Police officers arrested two 15-year-old suspects, a boy and a girl, both from Maryland, at the scene, according to authorities. Officials said the episode happened in the early morning hours on Sunday in an upscale neighborhood less than two miles from the White House. The two teenagers were charged with unarmed carjacking. The police said they were seeking additional suspects.
So DC, being a federal territory, historically was governed by leaders picked directly by the President. In 1973, Congress passed a law providing for a popularly elected Mayor and a board of District Councilmembers.
Now, I think all of those DC elected officials are Democrats or independents who lean left. So it would not surprise me to see Trump push to abolish that 1973 law, and go back to the practice of appointing the mayor directly.
Interestingly, since DC is not part of any state (and in fact has a larger population as of the last census than Vermont and Wyoming), the DC mayor is almost like a governor, because there is no government above it to make certain laws like States do. So it is a pretty powerful position for Trump to be able to sell to the highest bidder. Think of all the money it will make him if Congress revokes that 1973 law!
DC governance is in those parts that “went missing” from Congress’ version of the Constitution.
Yes, but we shouldn’t panic until they delete the tenth amendment. Because that amendment specifically allocates all powers not explicitly enumerated in the Constitution to the States (or the People).
So if this regime “deletes” this clause, they are really deleting their own ability to exercise legislative authority over DC. Without this clause, there is no way for DC to be governed other than by a democratically elected leader.