White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday criticized "soft-on-crime policies" that she claims led to the recent attack on a train in Chicago that left a woman in critical condition.
A 26-year-old woman identified as Bethany MaGee of Upland, Indiana, remains in critical condition after being set on fire aboard a CTA Blue Line train Nov. 17, authorities said.
According to a federal complaint, a 50-year-old man, Lawrence Reed, approached MaGee from behind, poured gasoline over her and then ignited her while the train was stopped near the Clark & Lake station.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured the attack and MaGee collapsed on the platform as bystanders rushed to help.
Reed, who was out on electronic monitoring following a prior violent assault, has been charged with federal terrorism offenses in connection with the firebombing of MaGee.
"An innocent, beautiful 26-year-old woman riding the subway was randomly set on fire by a career criminal," Leavitt wrote in a social-media post.
"Pray for Bethany as she fights for her life. HOW was this allowed to take place? This monster should have been locked behind bars, not roaming the streets," she added. "These liberal soft-on-crime policies threaten the safety and lives of law-abiding Americans. Enough is enough."
Authorities and federal officials described the incident as part of a broader failure of the criminal-justice system to detain repeat violent offenders. Critics pointed to Reed's extensive record of arrests and his release despite his violent history.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement: "This was a senseless act of violence, and we will use every resource necessary to find the individual responsible. Chicagoans deserve to feel safe — on our streets, in our neighborhoods and on our transit system."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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