Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli on Tuesday defended the federal response to unrest in Portland, Oregon, saying that what officers faced there “was nothing less than a violent mob.”
Federal security forces were sent to Portland in early July to protect federal buildings that were vandalized during weeks of protests against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd. Their deployment, which was criticized by the governor of Oregon and Portland’s mayor, both Democrats, was met with violence.
In particular, the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in downtown Portland has become a nightly battleground, with federal officers and protesters clashing in bloody confrontations. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent assets to the city to help protect the courthouse and other federal properties, eventually erecting a fence around the building that has mostly kept rioters at bay.
“That courthouse wouldn’t be there in any function,” Cuccinelli replied.
“I challenge anybody on the other side to say different,” Graham said, adding, “If we hadn’t intervened they'd have burned the [expletive] thing down.”
Cuccinelli insisted that the Department supports the rights of peaceful protesters to assemble and voice their concerns but he disputed the characterization of those taking part in violent attacks as “protesters.”
“It is important to be crystal clear about this: Rioters are not protestors and protestors are not rioters,” Cuccinelli said. “To confuse the two, regardless of motive, does a grave disservice to the critical place for peaceful protest in our country and it does a grave disservice to our country’s brave law enforcement officers who protect those rights.”
Rioters, Cuccinelli said, have “assaulted federal property, federal officers, local law enforcement personnel and facilities with hammers, lasers, baseball bats, fireworks, Molotov cocktails, chemicals, and other weapons.”
Graham called on his Democrat colleagues to help ensure that anyone attacking federal officers or local law enforcement is brought to justice.
“I’m going to be watching really hard whether or not the people who attack our officers are prosecuted,” Graham said. “I think most Americans are probably where I’m at—if a cop is going overboard, we want to know about it and take corrective action. But I think most Americans want to make sure that somebody who throws a brick or throws a bottle of water or anything else at a police officer, that they have their day in court, too.”
Cuccinelli said DHS would continue its deployment in line with its mission regardless of politically-motivated opposition.
“We remain disappointed that select federal, state, and local leaders prefer to demonize law enforcement while kowtowing to violent criminals who set fire to our cities, destroy local businesses, and target law enforcement officers for harm or even death,” he said.
“This country cannot survive allowing mob rule to replace the rule of law,” he said, adding, “those hurling Molotov cocktails and explosives in Portland are not just attacking a federal Courthouse. They are attacking the very foundation that makes the enjoyment of our natural rights possible—the rule of law itself.”
The Department attributed this trend to greater cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement.
