As Democratic lawmakers protested President Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce outside the Treasury Building on Tuesday evening, Rep. Ayanna Presley (D-MA) urged her supporters to “agitate” in the streets, comments which have been interpreted by some as a call for violence.
The protests continued in Washington, D.C., the nation’s most liberal city, which overwhelmingly supported Kamala Harris by a nine-to-one margin. Following a similar rally outside the USAID headquarters on Monday, Democrats gathered outside the Treasury Building to protest Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative after staffers reportedly gained access to information regarding trillions in payments made by Treasury.
Before delivering her speech, Pressley led protestors in a “hey hey, ho ho, Elon Musk has got to go,” chant before making her way to the podium. “Agitating. We will see you in the courts, in Congress, in the streets,” the far-left congresswoman shouted before referring to Musk as a “Nazi nepo-baby.” She added: “A godless, lawless billionaire who no one elected. Elon, this is the American people. This is not your trashy cyber truck that you can just dismantle, rip apart, and sell the pieces off. All right.”
Ironically, several reports revealed toward the end of Joe Biden’s presidency that he did not have all of his mental faculties even before he was elected, and got worse throughout his term, which was mostly managed by unelected White House staff and Cabinet members. Also, Tuesday’s statement was not the first time Pressley appeared to encourage political violence. During the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, she called on movement supporters to create “unrest” in the streets.
That said, Musk has gained a powerful ally in a high place. Ed Martin, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has pledged to protect Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees from threats and harassment by the radical left. Musk has brought in top-tier computer programmers and engineers to assist the committee in auditing government agencies as part of its effort to reduce government waste.
To safeguard against bad actors deleting data or leaking sensitive information, Musk’s team has reportedly gained access to several key databases, including those of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Senior congressional sources told Fox News that Musk’s team moved to take control of the independent agency over the weekend, sparking a frenzy among Democratic lawmakers. On Monday, dozens of Democrats tried to gain access to the building, asserting their control over the funding, despite the fact that the agency is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. State Department.
As DOGE continues its operations, media outlets have begun revealing the names and personal information of Musk’s employees. This has resulted in a significant increase in violent threats and harassment directed at DOGE staff members. “Dear @elon, Please see this important letter. We will not tolerate threats against DOGE workers or law-breaking by the disgruntled. All the best. Ed Martin,” Martin wrote in a letter addressed to Musk, which was posted to X.
“I recognize that some of the staff at DOGE has been targeted publicly. At this time, I ask that you utilize me and my staff to assist in protecting the DOGE work and the DOGE workers,” the letter continued. “Any threats, confrontations, or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws.” Martin promised that criminal charges would be filed against anyone who threatened to harm DOGE workers.
“We will not act like the previous administration who looked the other way as the Antifa and BLM [Black Lives Matter] rioters as well as thugs and guns trashed our capital city. We will protect DOGE and other workers no matter what,” the letter continued.