President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have reacted with fury after two 15-year-olds charged in connection with the assault of former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine, better known as “Big Balls,” were spared jail time on Tuesday.
Associate Judge Kendra Briggs of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia gave the verdict.
Newsweek contacted the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for comment via telephone on Thursday outside regular office hours.
Why It Matters
In August, Coristine was assaulted during an attempted carjacking in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C., while accompanied by a woman. Police arrested two 15-year-olds as they attempted to flee the scene.
Following the assault, the president said it was “time to federalize D.C.” and deployed National Guard troops across the city. Trump has since sought to replicate this strategy in other Democratic-run cities, such as Chicago and Portland, though he has faced legal setbacks.
What To Know
On Tuesday, Briggs sentenced the two 15-year-olds who attacked Coristine to probation after they pleaded guilty to simple assault.
The boy received 12 months’ probation and was instructed to return home under house arrest, while the girl received nine months’ probation and was remanded to a young people’s shelter. The pair was also barred from contacting each other or spending time in D.C. beyond what was necessary for school, work or family commitments.
According to local network WUSA9, Briggs said she hoped the two 15-year-olds would learn from the experience and said the primary objective of juvenile court was to rehabilitate offenders.
Speaking with reporters in the White House, Trump expressed outrage at the sentencing. “They beat the hell out of this guy. There was many people against this one guy, who was really trying to protect his girlfriend,” he said, adding: “Wow, that’s terrible. I think the judge should be ashamed of himself. That’s a big problem.”
Contrary to Trump’s remark, Briggs is female. The president’s comments were broadcast by C-Span, and a clip shared on X has received over 490,000 views.
Musk, the Tesla CEO and former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was similarly outraged.
On X, in a post that received over 24 million views, the billionaire commented on a post that Right Angle News Network shared about the sentencing, writing: “This was a racist verdict by a racist judge. The simple test to apply is if the races has been reversed, the White kids would be in prison. Equal justice for all!”
What People Are Saying
Edward Coristine shared a New York Post article about the sentencing on X, adding: “To this day, they’ve only caught two out of the ten. Eight of them remain on the street. That night could’ve gone far differently. Think of your daughters and mothers. The same group attacked people before and after us, breaking ribs and stomping heads. This senseless crime must be stopped.”
The MAGA Voice X account, which has 1.3 million followers, wrote: “Elon Musk just called Judge Kendra Briggs a ‘R*cist Judge’ for allowing the thugs who jumped Big Balls to escape prison time. THIS ‘JUDGE’ SHOULD BE DISBARRED. I AGREE WITH ELON.”
The Libs of TikTok X account, which supports President Donald Trump and has 4.5 million followers, wrote: “BREAKING: Kendra Briggs, a Biden-appointed judge, gives NO jailtime to the teens responsible for brutally attacking DOGE employee ‘Big Balls.’ The teens were instead sentenced to ONLY probation. Judge Briggs stated that her goal is to ‘rehabilitate, not to punish.’”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on The Charlie Kirk Show on Wednesday: “One of the big issues in D.C. is these juveniles, they just get a slap on the wrist. This administration has a completely different philosophy. We need law and order.”
What Happens Next
The Trump administration has made cracking down on crime a major policy priority and is expected to continue deploying National Guard troops to various cities, though it faces legal setbacks and opposition from state and local governments.
Update 10/16/25, 5:40 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include an X post from Edward Coristine.