Biden accuses Trump of 'egregious tactics' in Portland protest crackdown

Reuters

Published Jul 21, 2020 08:25PM ET

Updated Jul 21, 2020 08:35PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden accused the Trump administration on Tuesday of "egregious tactics" in cracking down on protests in Portland, Oregon, saying the response by federal agents was stoking divisions in the country.

Biden, who leads Republican President Donald Trump in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, said in a statement that Homeland Security agents in Portland, some without any identifying markings, had been "brutally attacking peaceful protesters" and ranging far from federal property to detain people.

"We have a president who is determined to sow chaos and division. To make matters worse instead of better," Biden said, in his first public comments on the Portland unrest.

Trump and Department of Homeland Security officials have defended the efforts of officers in Portland as the city has faced prolonged demonstrations against racial injustice, saying they were trying to protect federal property.

Portland's mayor has protested the federal presence and Oregon’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit, saying federal agents had seized and detained people without probable cause. Congressional Democrats have demanded an internal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general.

On Monday, Trump suggested he would send federal law enforcement agents into other cities, saying without presenting evidence that Democratic mayors in those places had failed to control crime.

Biden, who served as Democratic President Barack Obama's vice president, said officers had the right to protect federal property but could do it without "resorting to these egregious tactics — and without trying to stoke the fires of division in this country."

The Trump campaign said Biden's statement showed the former vice president was "siding with the criminals."