Portland mayor says protests 'blew up like a powder keg' only after federal agents arrived

Jake Tapper and Ted Wheeler.
(Image credit: Screenshot/CNN)

Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler wants federal agents to leave his city as soon as possible, he told CNN's Jake Tapper during Sunday's edition of State of the Union.

Tensions have been high in Portland this week amid demonstrations against police brutality, with protesters and local and state officials accusing troops associated with the Department of Homeland Security of arresting people without identifying themselves, as well as without probable cause. Oregon's Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is suing the federal government over the issue.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.