Outnumbered” co-panelist Kennedy said Wednesday that the ongoing mayhem in Portland, Ore. is not being addressed due to a lack of leadership at the state and local levels.
“Having federal law enforcement deployed in cities should give all of us pause — [those of us who] respect federalism and the Constitution,” the news contributor said.
“I think [Portland Mayor] Ted Wheeler and [Oregon Gov.] Kate Brown are both just basically pouncing on this as a political opportunity to push back at the president, instead of telling citizens in Portland and Oregon how they’re going to make the state and the city better and make it not a magnet for people who want to sow chaos and hurt businesses and limit the freedom of citizens there,” Kennedy added.
FIREWORKS, THEN TEAR GAS: NIGHT 62 IN PORTLAND SEES MORE CLASHES; TRUMP IN TALKS TO PULL OUT FEDERAL OFFICERS
Brown announced that federal agents will begin a “phased withdrawal” from the city’s downtown area starting Thursday.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said in a statement that he and Brown have been in contact over the past 24 hours and reached a joint plan to end “the violent activity in Portland directed at federal properties and law enforcement officers.”
“That plan includes the robust presence of Oregon State Police in downtown Portland,” Wolf said. “State and local law enforcement will begin securing properties and streets, especially those surrounding federal properties, that have been under nightly attack for the past two months. Oregon State Police will coordinate with Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers to ensure all federal facilities remained protected and secure.”
Kennedy said protests that devolve into riots during a pandemic “completely suck” and must be addressed immediately in order to restore Oregon’s tourism and business activity.
“There is no better time, there is no greater need for leadership than at a moment like this,” she said, “and the leadership has utterly failed people there.
“That is sad.”
