Trump vows wider protest crackdown
As Oregon leaders call for President Troop to remove federal forces from Portland, the president is promising to send forces into more cities to push back against protesters. NBC's Dan Scheneman reports.
PORTLAND, Ore. (NBC News) — Tensions escalated overnight in Portland, Oregon as hundreds of demonstrators clashed with federal agents.
Anger boiled over as some in the crowd set fires and ripped down protective barriers at the federal courthouse.
While many of the protests staged over the past several weeks have been peaceful, there has also been violence, vandalism and looting.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown says the presence of federal agents is fueling the tension.
“The protests were calming down and the presence of federal troops here, Trump’s troops here, in the streets of Portland has substantially exacerbated an already challenging situation,” Brown says.
The White House says the agents are there to protect federal property, and Mr. Trump has vowed to send federal enforcers into other cities experiencing protests and violence.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says they won’t be welcomed in her city.
“We don’t need federal agents, without any insignia taking people off the street in a holding down, I think, unlawfully,” Lightfoot said.
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