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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