Ex-DHS secretary says Trump treating federal agents like 'personal militia' in Portland
'It would be a cold day in hell before I would consent to an uninvited, unilateral intervention into one of my cities'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The nation’s first Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary on Tuesday condemned his former department’s presence in Portland, saying it was not the agency’s mission to act as domestic law enforcement.
“The department was established to protect America from the ever-present threat of global terrorism. It was not established to be the president’s personal militia, former Secretary Tom Ridge told Sirius XM host Michael Smerconish on Tuesday.
Ridge, a two-term Republican governor from Pennsylvania and President George W. Bush’s first head of DHS, said “it would be a cold day in hell before I would consent to an uninvited, unilateral intervention into one of my cities.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Still, Ridge said if he was the governor now, he would “welcome the opportunity to work with any federal agency to reduce crime or lawlessness in the cities,” but believed the White House was wrong to do it without permission.
President Trump has denounced the violent demonstrations in Portland and the Trump administration has sent in DHS agents. “We will not allow Portland to become the new CHOP, like we saw in Seattle,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Current DHS Secretary Chad Wolf has defended the presence of federal officers, including the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection team based on the U.S.-Mexico border, to protect federal property.
Local officials have said they didn’t ask for federal help to quell the more than six weeks of unrest that has plagued Portland. Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, has said a small group of violent activists was drowning out the message of peaceful protesters. Wheeler also said the presence of federal law enforcement in Portland was exacerbating the situation.
Wheeler said Friday, “Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“The words and actions from President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security have shown that this is an attack on our democracy,” Wheeler added.
PORTLAND MAYOR DEMANDS TRUMP KEEP FEDERAL AGENTS 'IN YOUR OWN BUILDING, OR HAVE THEM LEAVE THE CITY'
Wolf slammed the Portland mayor and his and his “completely irresponsible” comment that federal agents are escalating the situation in the city.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“The facts don't lie and the facts are that these violent anarchists and extremists were violent well before DHS surged federal assets into Portland,” Wolf told “Fox & Friends” on Monday, the morning after the 53rd consecutive night of protests in Oregon’s largest city.
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Over the weekend, rioters broke into the Portland Police Association building and set it on fire, as demonstrations over the death of George Floyd intensified for another night, according to Portland Police.