Trump threatens Chicago transit funding after | Political News

The Trump administration is threatening to withdraw federal funding for public transportation in Chicago unless town enhances security measures following an incident in November where a man allegedly set a girl ablaze on a commuter practice.

In an e mail to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker‘s workplace accused President Donald Trump of exploiting “a heinous tragedy” for political functions while failing to take significant motion to improve security in Illinois communities.

Federal Transit Authority Administrator Marc Molinaro despatched a letter Monday to both Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson requiring the Chicago Transit Authority to create and execute an up to date security plan by Dec. 19. The correspondence didn’t specify specific modifications needed.

The directive follows a Nov. 17 incident on a Blue Line L commuter practice where a man poured gasoline from a plastic drink bottle onto fellow passenger Bethany MaGee as she sat with her back turned, according to court paperwork. He then pursued her through the practice car and ignited her.

The suspect exited at the next stop in downtown Chicago and departed on foot as MaGee, 26, staggered out and collapsed to the ground. She sustained critical burns but survived the assault.

Authorities apprehended 50-year-old Lawrence Reed of Chicago the next morning. Federal prosecutors have charged him with committing a terrorist assault, which carries a most sentence of life imprisonment.

Online court information didn’t establish legal illustration for him. Records supplied to The Associated Press by the Cook County Circuit Court reveal that Reed has confronted over 60 prison circumstances since 1993.

These vary from site visitors, trespassing and drug possession offenses to more critical prices involving violent habits – including at least 15 battery and assault circumstances and at least two arson circumstances.

At the time of the practice assault, Reed was under digital monitoring in an energetic battery case. Authorities report that he struck a hospital social employee in the face in August.

The Cook County chief choose’s workplace cited state law that strictly limits judges from denying the release of defendants before their trials.

In his letter, Molinaro called it “unconscionable” that Reed was launched in the battery case and said the assault on MaGee displays “systemic failures in both leadership and accountability on all levels that cannot be tolerated.

“I cannot settle for the brutal assault of an harmless 26-year-old girl as an inevitable price of offering public transportation,” he wrote.

During a news conference, Johnson expressed concern about the threat of losing funding and urged Trump to collaborate with American cities instead of opposing them.

“It’s no secret right here that President Trump spends more time pondering about my job than really doing his,” the mayor stated.

When approached for a statement, CTA representatives issued an email confirming receipt of the correspondence and noting the agency “will reply within the requested timeline.”

No additional details were provided. The AP contacted the mayor’s office on Tuesday but had not received a response.

Chicago and other cities under Democratic leadership have faced sharp rebuke from Trump and his administration, who have portrayed them as plagued by violence, even as violent crime has fallen significantly following a pandemic-era surge.

In October, the administration announced it was blocking $2.1 billion earmarked for Chicago infrastructure initiatives, including expansion of the Red Line L commuter train. The project aimed to bring stations to some of the city’s most economically disadvantaged communities.

White House budget administrators stated at the time they sought to verify that funds weren’t being allocated through race-based procurement practices. That same week, the administration held back $18 billion designated for New York infrastructure.

Governor Pritzker has consistently been among Trump’s most vocal opponents. The president’s immigration enforcement operations in Chicago have further escalated friction between the two.

Pritzker has opposed Trump’s National Guard deployment, prompting the president to refer to the governor as “a fats slob” during his conventional Thanksgiving turkey pardons.