/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f63932a243bd586fd7063d5/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=5233&cropY1=272&cropY2=3216&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Justice Department Explored Charging Portland Officials In Protests")
Topline
The U.S. Department of Justice looked into whether it could pursue charges against city officials in Portland, Oregon, as heated nightly protests persisted, a department spokesperson said on Thursday, as the Trump administration continues to escalate its crackdown on protest-related violence.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks to the media while surrounded by press and protesters in front of … [+]
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Key Facts
The department did research on whether it could pursue criminal or civil charges against city officials, DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec told the Associated Press.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to questions from Forbes about which officials it was considering charges against or what the charges would be.
President Trump has harshly criticized city officials in Portland, including Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler who he called a “dummy” and “idiot comic relief,” for refusing to collaborate with federal officers sent to the city to quell heated protests.
This news follows Wednesday reports that Attorney General William Barr asked federal prosecutors to consider charging rioters or others who commited violent crimes with sedition, while instructing the department’s civil rights division to explore bringing criminal charges against Seattle’s Democratic Mayor Jenny Durkan for allowing residents to take over a slice of the city’s downtown area for a police-free protest zone, which latest for weeks this summer.
Protests started in Portland after the May 25 death of George Floyd—escalating in July after federal agents arrived in the city—and have continued through September.
Chief Critic
“The Department of Justice cannot become a political weapon operated at the behest of the President to target those who have spoken out against this administration’s actions,” Durkan, a former U.S. attorney, said on Wednesday in response to reports of Barr weighing charges. “That is an act of tyranny, not of democracy.”
Key Background
While largely peaceful, Black Lives Matter protests in some cities have ended in violence and destruction in the months following Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Missouri. Portland turned into a battleground between the Trump administration and local government after federal troops arrived in the city to defend the federal courthouse despite protest from Mayor Wheeler and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. Both sides blamed each other for escalating violence until federal forces agreed to a phased withdrawal from the city in late-July. The Justice Department’s inspector general has since opened an investigation into the federal law enforcement response to protests in Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., following complaints from Congress and the public.
Crucial Quote
“The people of Portland, like all other cities & parts of our great country, want Law & Order,” Trump wrote in a string of tweets skewering Wheeler at the end of last month. “The Radical Left Democratic Mayors, like the dummy running Portland … will never be able to do it!”
Further Reading
“Many Arrested In Portland Won’t Be Prosecuted, DA Says” (Forbes)
“Defense Secretary Becomes Latest Public Official To Voice Concern Over Federal Agents In Portland” (Forbes)
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