A Biden-appointed judge sparked outrage Friday by releasing two teens charged in the brutal assault of former DOGE staffer Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, undercutting what President Donald Trump has hailed as his administration’s crime crackdown.
The teens, a 15-year-old boy and girl from Maryland, had been held at Washington, D.C.’s Youth Services Center since being charged in connection with an alleged carjacking and assault on August 3.
The victim, Coristine, 19, was reportedly “beaten mercilessly,” prompting Trump to post a bloodied photo of him on Truth Social.
Judge Kendra Briggs, appointed by former President Joe Biden, ordered the teens returned to their caretakers with strict conditions: electronic monitoring, a 24-hour curfew, and no contact with each other.
“School and home, that’s it,” Briggs told the teens during Thursday’s hearing at D.C. Superior Court. She added that an emergency hearing would be called if the conditions were violated.
The decision is certain to inflame Trump and his supporters, who have consistently emphasized the need for harsher punishments for violent offenders, per the Daily Beast.
Trump had celebrated his administration’s efforts to crack down on crime in D.C., declaring on Truth Social, “Washington D.C. will soon be great again!!!”
Right-wing commentators expressed