100+ House Dems, Including Several From Virginia, Send Letter to William Barr, Chad Wolf Condemning Unlawful Actions of the Trump Administration in Portland, OR

From Rep. Donald McEachin’s office:

McEachin Condems Unlawful Actions of the Trump Administration in Portland, Oregon

RICHMOND, VA – Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) today issued the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s violent and unconstitutional tactics used against protestors in Portland, Oregon.

“President Trump’s rhetoric in recent weeks has shifted beyond his usual dog-whistles as he demonizes our cities and threatens to ‘dominate’ the largely peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the country.

“While communities across America continue to demand a reckoning with our country’s legacy of racism and systemic inequality, it is clear that the president is targeting the movement for black lives in a desperate attempt to shore up political support with his base and deflect attention from his failed leadership during the COVID-19 crisis. 

“Even as Trump attempts to frame the protests continuing in Richmond and in cities across the nation as a national threat to law and order, he continues his alarming pattern of disregard for American civil liberties with sanctioned abuse of federal force to intimidate American citizens in Portland. 

“Unidentified federal agents dragging protesters from the street into unmarked cars are not upholding law and order — they are in direct violation of the Fourth Amendment and must be held accountable. If the president wants to stand up for law and order, he can start with leading by example and respecting the Constitution. 

“Whether in Richmond or Portland, Americans will not live in fear of President Trump’s gestapo. The assault on the Bill of Rights by federal officers in Portland right now is unacceptable and my House colleagues and I are moving swiftly to curb this egregious abuse of power.”

Background

Congressman McEachin and 113 of his House colleagues today sent a letter demanding information about unidentified federal law enforcement agents deployed in Portland, OR despite the objections of state and local authorities.
Full letter text