Federal Transit Administrator Marc Molinaro has directed the Chicago Transit Authority to submit a verifiable security enhancement plan by next week, threatening to withhold federal funding amid rising crime, highlighted by a woman’s horrible burning at the hands of a criminal on a Blue Line train.
Reacting, Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson whined about the Trump administration’s ultimatum as unlawful interference, pointing to Illinois’ new $1.5B transit reform bill. Firing back, the president decried the release of repeat offenders.
Issuing a confident rebuke of the sanctuary city officials, Marc Molinaro, the Federal Transit Administrator, explained the situation. “Given high crime rates on CTA property, this incident is not isolated and reflects systemic failures in both leadership and accountability on all levels that cannot be tolerated,” he said.
Building on his previous comments, he made it clear that the current situation is untenable and unacceptable in the highest degree, saying, “I will not accept the brutal assault of an innocent 26-year-old woman as an inevitable cost of providing public transportation.”
Donald Trump summarized the events in an outraged statement where he snapped, “They burned this beautiful woman riding on a train. The man was arrested 72 times — 72 times, think of that. And they let him out again. The liberal judges let him out again.” President Trump also said, slamming the sanctuary city leadership, “The Mayor is incompetent and the Governor is a big fat slob.” Watch him here:
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