President Trump signed a memorandum enforcing the death penalty in Washington, DC.
The memorandum explains that capital punishment is “an essential part of how our justice system deters and punishes the most reprehensible crimes that often involve grotesque and lethal violence against innocent Americans.”
“My Administration has undertaken numerous successful actions to address the emergency declared and to protect public safety, as a result of which crime in the District of Columbia has fallen dramatically in recent weeks,” the memo adds. “Faithful implementation of the capital punishment laws will be part of this continuing work.”
Upon signing the memo, President Trump told reporters, “It’s a very interesting capital punishment, capital city. That’s right. It’s capital, capital, capital, capital. But this is our capital city.” He asserted, “We can’t allow that to happen. People come in from Iowa to look at the Lincoln Memorial, and they end up getting killed. Doesn’t happen anymore. It’s not going to happen. And if it does happen, it’s the death penalty for the person,” he added.
“Not only are we seeking it in Washington, D.C., but all over the country again,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
Trump signed an executive order in January authorizing Bondi to “pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use.” The order further directs Bondi to ensure that states allowing capital punishment have a “sufficient supply of drugs needed to carry out lethal injection.”
“It is the policy of the United States to ensure that the laws that authorize capital punishment are respected and faithfully implemented, and to counteract the politicians and judges who subvert the law by obstructing and preventing the execution of capital sentences,” the order read.
