US Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday strongly defended sending federal law enforcement officers to quell protests in Portland and rejected allegations he was trying to boost President Donald Trump's reelection prospects.
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In a fiery hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Barr rejected Democrat allegations that the Trump administration was stifling peaceful protests against racism and police brutality, saying the demonstrations in the Oregon city were "an assault on the government of the United States."
He also rejected accusations that he had turned the Justice Department into a political tool for Trump, saying instead that his mission was to "rectify the rule of law," even when that meant pursuing a lighter prison sentence for Trump political consultant Roger Stone.
"In the wake of George Floyd's death, violent rioters and anarchists have hijacked legitimate protests to wreak senseless havoc and destruction on innocent victims," Barr said in his testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.
"To tacitly condone destruction and anarchy is to abandon the basic rule-of-law principles that should unite us even in a politically divisive time," he said.
The hearing marks Barrs first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee after 18 months in office, bringing him face-to-face with a panel that voted last year to hold him in contempt and is holding hearings on what Democrats say is the politicisation of the Justice Department under his watch.
It comes during a tumultuous stretch in which Barr has taken actions cheered by Trump and his supporters but condemned by Democrats and other critics.
Among those actions is the Justice Departments decision to drop the prosecution of former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn and Barr's urging for a more lenient sentence for Stone, a move that prompted the entire trial teams departure. Trump later commuted the sentence entirely.
US Attorney General William Barr testifies at House Judiciary Hearing
'Twisted the Department of Justice'
Opening the hearing, committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said the Trump administration had “twisted the Department of Justice into a shadow of its former self,” serving the powerful before average Americans. He said the committee has a responsibility to protect Americans “from that kind of corruption.”
Nadler said Barr had “aided and abetted” Trumps worst impulses and excoriated him and the Justice Department for turning a blind eye to necessary reforms to police departments, for dismissing Black Lives Matter protests and for flooding streets with federal agents to stop protesters.
Portland protest groups sue US over tear gas, rubber bullets
Republicans hit back hard in defense of Barr and Trump's administration. The top Republican on the panel, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, used his opening statement to show an eight-minute video that spliced together images of violence by protesters around the country, showcasing law enforcement officers under attack in Chicago, Portland and New York. The images were cut from hundreds of hours of racial injustice footage of largely peaceful protests around the nation.
'Narrative that I am simply the presidents factotum'
Under combative questioning, Barr acerbically defended himself but revealed little new information about his motivations or the Justice Department's recent actions on policing or otherwise. Fuming Democrats often used their five minutes to lay out their frustrations and cut him off as he attempted to answer questions.
“Many of the Democrats on this Committee have attempted to discredit me by conjuring up a narrative that I am simply the presidents factotum who disposes of criminal cases according to his instructions,” Barr said in his opening statement. "Judging from the letter inviting me to this hearing, that appears to be your agenda today.”
On policing, Barr's testimony underscores the Justice Departments ongoing effort to differentiate between increasing violence in some cities and Floyd's death, which has led to state charges against four officers and is under investigation by federal authorities. Massive but peaceful demonstrations followed Floyd's death in May.
The attorney general, speaking as Congress and the public pay respects in the Capitol to the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, acknowledged that Floyds death struck a chord in the Black community because it reinforced concerns Black people are treated differently by police. But he condemned Americans who he says have responded inappropriately to Floyd's death through what he said was rioting and anarchy.
“As elected officials of the federal government, every member of this committee — regardless of your political views or your feelings about the Trump administration — should condemn violence against federal officers and destruction of federal property,” Barr said. “So should state and local leaders who have a responsibility to keep their communities safe."
Defending Trump's 'church walk' crackdown
Civil unrest escalated in Portland after federal agents were accused of whisking people away in unmarked cars without probable cause; the people were detained and later released.
In the capital, Washington DC, peaceful protesters were violently cleared from the streets by federal officers using smoke bombs and pepper balls last monRead More – Source
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