Democracy Dies in Darkness

A congressman spared prison as a teen tells D.C. to be tough on youth

Rep. Byron Donalds sponsored a bill to prohibit the District’s council from legislating crime sentencing.

Perspective by
Columnist
May 16, 2024 at 3:32 p.m. EDT
Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.) and other Republicans on the House Oversight Committee visit the protest encampment at George Washington University on May 1. (Jordan Tovin for The Washington Post)
5 min

If it weren’t for mercy, an 18-year-old from Brooklyn popped on drug charges back in the ’90s may not have the extraordinary life he lives in Washington today, a life that’s becoming a headache for the residents of the nation’s capital.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), one of three children raised by a single mom in Crown Heights, was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute when he was 18 and had just moved to Florida for college.