President Donald Trump and other Republicans have blamed Zarutska’s death on Democratic policies in North Carolina.
Key Facts
Brown, who was arrested on first-degree murder charges at the state level, was federally charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system after Zarutska, 23, was fatally stabbed on Aug. 22, the Justice Department announced.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said prosecutors would seek a maximum penalty for Brown, who faces life in prison or the death penalty, according to the DOJ.What Has Donald Trump Said About Iryna Zarutska?
Trump on Monday, in response to surveillance footage of the attack released last week, wrote on Truth Social that Zarutska was “brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged” Brown and noted Brown’s previous arrests. He blamed Democrats in the state for Zarutska’s death, writing “her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail,” while pointing to policies under former Gov. Roy Cooper. In his post, Trump added an endorsement for Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley in his U.S. Senate race against Cooper, writing “only Republicans will deliver” on “LAW AND ORDER.” The White House released an accompanying statement, claiming the attack was the „culmination of North Carolina’s Democrat politicians, prosecutors and judges prioritizing woke agendas.”What Have Other Republicans Said About Iryna Zarutska?
Whatley backed Trump’s response as “spot on,” alleging Cooper’s “spineless, soft-on-crime policies have unleashed predators” like Brown and “countless other violent thugs.
