As if Washington, DC, wasn’t dysfunctional enough, the city’s deputy mayor has been arrested and charged with assault and battery. According to Fox 5, Chris Geldart grabbed a man by his neck during a confrontation in the parking lot at a Gold’s Gym in Arlington, VA.

Reporter Sierra Fox attempted to ask Mayor Muriel Bowser about the incident, showing her the video. Instead, she flailed wildly, first saying she’d watch it later before asserting that she wouldn’t be getting back to Fox 5 with a comment.

@MayorBowser did not want to respond to the video when @fox5dc showed it to her asking if this is acceptable behavior from someone on her leadership team.

— Sierra Fox (@thesierrafox) October 5, 2022

Bowser has overseen a steep decline in the city she leads, with skyrocketing crime and homelessness. DC has also been at the center of an illegal immigrant relocation program out of Texas and other border states, causing outrage from the city’s leadership. The nation’s capital had previously declared itself a “sanctuary city.”

In the face of that, this scandal has now arisen and there’s little sign that Bowser will be taking it seriously. Later, she commented that the matter was being investigated while Geldart was on leave but then proceeded to downplay what happened. Here’s the statement that was sent to Fox 5 after the exchange in the hallway.

The Mayor’s Office just sent me this statement: “We take any accusations seriously and are reviewing the matter. While it is under review, Deputy Mayor Geldart is on leave. Unfortunately, it sounds like something that happens to a lot of people – a dispute over something minor.”

I’m not sure how the dispute happening over something minor is relevant. If the deputy mayor committed assault and battery, then the penalties are the same regardless of the situation. I guess the question is whether Bowser will ultimately act here. I wouldn’t suggest anyone hold their breath.

But hey, at least DC has a street named after a scam organization in Black Lives Matter, right? Sure, you can’t park your car on the street, use the subway, or take a walk in the evening without being at serious risk of being victimized by criminals, but by golly, you can look at those bold yellow letters and feel virtuous.

The nation’s most liberal major city (92 percent for Joe Biden in 2020) will continue to devolve into anarchy as long as these people are in charge. Unfortunately, there are lots of voters there who are gluttons for punishment, so I wouldn’t expect any imminent changes.