White House Slams Democrats After 26-Year-Old Bethany MaGee Is Set on Fire by Man With 72 Arrests

The White House has issued a blistering statement accusing Democrat leaders of allowing a violent repeat offender to remain free long enough to set a 26-year-old Bethany MaGee on fire aboard a Chicago train.

Officials said the attack was the direct result of soft-on-crime policies that have put innocent Americans at risk.

The victim is in critical condition with severe burns after what federal agents described as one of the most shocking acts of public violence seen in the city in years.

Horror on the Blue Line as Victim Runs Ablaze Through Train Carriage

The attack unfolded on the CTA Blue Line when 50-year-old Lawrence Reed allegedly doused a woman in petrol before setting her alight in full view of passengers. Witnesses described a scene of panic as the victim ran screaming through the carriage engulfed in flames.

Reed was later arrested wearing the same clothes seen in security footage. Prosecutors said he had burns on his hand consistent with petrol ignition and muttered phrases including 'burn b****' and 'burn alive b****' while being transported.

In court he repeatedly shouted 'I plead guilty' and insisted on defending himself.

Authorities confirmed an astonishing record. Reed has 72 arrests, eight felony convictions, seven misdemeanours and a criminal history spanning more than three decades.

His cases include battery, arson and repeated violations of electronic monitoring. In 2020, he was sentenced to mental health probation for starting a fire outside the Thompson Center.

ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher Amon said the suspect had been given 'plenty of second chances' and that those decisions had placed an innocent woman in hospital fighting for her life.

White House Issues Explosive Statement Blaming Democrat Crime Policies

In an unusually fierce statement, the White House accused Democrat-led Illinois and Chicago of setting the conditions that allowed the attack to happen.

The statement began: 'How many more innocent Americans have to be victimised before Democrat politicians admit their sick, soft-on-crime insanity is a blood-soaked catastrophe?'

Officials said Reed was free because of Illinois' abolition of cash bail, a reform signed by Governor JB Pritzker.

The White House wrote: 'This animal was walking free because of the radical, dangerous "no cash bail" law proudly signed by Governor JB Pritzker and celebrated by Chicago's defund-the-police Mayor Brandon Johnson.'

Reed had been arrested months earlier for another violent offence but was released on electronic monitoring. According to the White House, he violated the terms repeatedly without consequence.

'A county judge cut him loose on electronic monitoring, a condition he repeatedly violated right up to the day he lit an innocent woman on fire,' the statement said.

The White House added that Democrat leaders were 'arrogantly doubling down on the same failed policies' and insisted that President Trump was committed to reversing the trend of violent offenders being released.

'Enough is enough. President Trump is taking our streets back from the savages who terrorise them and from the Democrats who keep setting them free,' the statement concluded.

Record of Missed Warnings and Failed Interventions

Reed's history has intensified scrutiny on both the courts and mental health institutions. He had been arrested in August for assaulting a social worker at MacNeal Hospital while being treated as a psychiatric patient. Despite objections from prosecutors, a judge allowed him to go free on electronic monitoring.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker defended the system by saying judges ultimately decide who is detained. However, Cook County officials confirmed that Reed had been charged with aggravated battery and had violated monitoring several times prior to the attack.

Chicago Officials Acknowledge System Failure as Public Anger Grows

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson described the incident as isolated for the CTA network but admitted that Reed's case reflected a larger institutional collapse.

'This is an absolute failure of our criminal justice and mental health institutions,' Johnson said.

Reed now faces a federal terrorism charge for committing an act of terrorism against a mass transportation system. The charge has never been used in Chicago and carries a potential life sentence.

During his hearing, Reed asked to remain detained, telling the judge he did not feel safe among the public.

Victim Battles for Life as Pressure Mounts on Illinois Leaders

As the victim continues to fight for survival, Chicago residents and national commentators are demanding answers about how a man with such an extensive criminal past was free to carry out one of the most brutal attacks the city has seen.

With the White House accusing Democrats of letting the suspect 'burn her alive', the pressure on Chicago and Illinois officials is set to intensify in the days ahead.