Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri) stated that some of his colleagues sleep in their offices out of dread of being assaulted or murdered on the streets of the nation’s capital.

Wednesday, Burlison made the startling remarks during an interview with radio presenter Todd Starnes on his podcast-titled podcast.

Starnes reported that Democratic Texas Representative Henry Cuellar was robbed and carjacked at gunpoint in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, where many members of Congress reside.

“How dangerous is it in Washington?” he asked.

“It’s very dangerous,” Burlison replied. “I mean, it’s insane to even own a car in D.C. because wherever you park, it is going to cost you a fortune and it’s likely to get broken into and you’re likely to get carjacked.”

The congressman continued: “You know, we hunker down in the Capitol building. … It’s a security calculation to actually sleep in your office.”

A stunned Starnes followed up by asking, “You’re telling me that it’s so dangerous in Washington that some of these lawmakers are actually sleeping in their offices?”

“Yeah,” Burlison said. “I mean, Todd, I don’t want to walk back and forth from an apartment in D.C. at night or in the early morning to get to work. It’s not a safe environment.”

The discussion starts below around the 44-minute mark:

Legislators’ concerns that they will be victimized by offenders in the nation’s capital defy credulity.

This would not be tolerated if the United States under President Joe Biden were not a complete buffoon show. The center of national politics should be one of the safest locations in the nation.

“It’s shocking,” Starnes said. “I think I have to imagine people listening to this, congressman, are just dumbfounded that things are that bad in Washington, D.C. I know Sen. Mike Lee last night was tweeting that maybe it’s time to take back control of the district.”

Burlison attributed the pervasive lawlessness to “progressive leftists” who promote poisonous, lax-on-crime policies.

Similar to other Democrat-controlled cities such as Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, the rate of crime in Washington, D.C. has skyrocketed.

The Metropolitan Police Department reports that violent crimes in Washington have increased by 40 percent year-over-year, with robberies increasing by 70 percent and homicides increasing by 38 percent. The number of auto thefts has increased by 105 percent.

Even our elected officials are vulnerable to criminality, which is a lamentable reflection of the deplorable condition of our nation. Clearly, this is not the nation envisioned by our Founding Fathers.

In February, Minnesota Democratic Representative Angie Craig was accosted in the elevator of her apartment building in Washington, D.C.

In March, a staffer for Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul was wounded in Washington while walking with a companion.

Criminals are now glaringly evident to be equal-opportunity offenders. The Democrats should recognize that by empowering and incentivizing thuggery through their permissive policies, they imperil both the public and themselves.