Justice Department sought ways to arrest Portland officials on federal criminal charges

Portland in the smoke
(Image credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

Justice Department officials dispute a report Wednesday in The New York Times that Attorney General William Barr asked federal prosecutors to find a way to bring criminal charges against Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) for allowing protesters to briefly set up a police-free zone east of downtown. But Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Thursday that the department has explored whether it can pursue criminal or civil rights charges against officials in Portland, Oregon, for weeks of protest-related violence.

Such charges "would likely present an uphill court battle for federal prosecutors," The Associated Press reports, and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler shrugged off the threat as "ridiculous on its face." The Trump administration "has made the cynical decision that the suffering of others is politically beneficial, regardless of the cost," he said in a statement. "The people of this city — and throughout the nation — will not be intimidated."

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"Trump has never seen himself as president of the United States," anti-Trump GOP strategist Stuart Stevens told the Times. "He's a gang leader, and you are either in his gang or you are the enemy." Trump "views and uses politics as a popularity contest, rewarding those he considers personally loyal to him," added David Lapan, a former senior official in Trump's Homeland Security Department. "This isn't high school, and lives are at stake, often with tragic results."

White House spokeswoman Sarah Matthews said Thursday that Trump's policies "uplift all Americans" but claimed "it's no secret some Democrat-run states and cities have failed to create economic growth, secure their streets, or protect the most vulnerable against this virus."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.