Portland Mayor Requests to Meet Feds in Apparent Flip Toward Trump’s 'Law & Order'
Democrat official seems to take u-turn on protests in city
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Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who earlier this month vowed to not meet with representatives of the Department of Homeland Security who deployed federal officers to protect the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse, has backed away from his stance.
Wheeler said earlier this month:
“A number of people have asked if I know DHS leadership is in town, and if I’m going to meet with them."
"We’re aware that they’re here. We wish they weren’t. We haven’t been invited to meet with them, and if we were , we would decline.”
A number of people have asked if I know DHS leadership is in town, and if I’m going to meet with them. We’re aware that they’re here. We wish they weren’t. We haven’t been invited to meet with them, and if we were , we would decline.
— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) July 16, 2020
Wheeler also told President Donald Trump to “Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city."
"This is part of the core media strategy out of Trump’s White House: to use federal troops to bolster his sagging polling data."And it is an absolute abuse of federal law enforcement officials.”
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However, this week, Wheeler tweeted that he and Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty were “calling for an immediate meeting with Department of Homeland Security leadership on the ground in Portland and with Acting Secretary @DHS_Wolf to discuss a cease-fire and the removal of heightened federal forces from Portland.”
Commissioner @JoAnnPDX and I are calling for an immediate meeting with Department of Homeland Security leadership on the ground in Portland and with Acting Secretary @DHS_Wolf to discuss a cease-fire and the removal of heightened federal forces from Portland.
— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) July 28, 2020
Last week, Wheeler joined protest crowds who started rioting while he was amongst the mobs, triggering a response from federal police to quell the violence.
WATCH:
Wheeler leaves the scene. Protesters throw water bottles at him and curse him. He manages to get inside a building after a scuffle between protesters and his security detail. pic.twitter.com/eRn2gWlpqm
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 23, 2020
Wheeler's security detail reportedly struggled to recover the mayor from the violent crowd.
After getting caught up in the unrest, Mayor Wheeler ended up getting tear-gassed by the feds.
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A riot was declared in Portland just after midnight Thursday morning after Mayor Ted Wheeler’s tense visit with protesters.
Meanwhile, many Democrats have given a narrative that fails to match the violent reality fo the Portland riots.
Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed that federal law enforcement officers were “brutally attacking peaceful protesters.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) claimed the violence was a “myth.”
Both claims His claims conflict with what the Department of Homeland (DHS):
“The violent situation Portland has witnessed for the past eight weeks continues with violent anarchists rioting on the streets as federal law enforcement officers work diligently and honorably to enforce federal law, defend federal property, and protect the lives of their fellow officers,” DHS said in a Sunday statement.
