Barr to tell House Judiciary Committee that Portland protests are “an assault on the government of the United States” – By Clare Hymes (CBS News) / July 27 2020
Attorney General William Barr plans to tell the House Judiciary Committee that the violent unrest in Portland is “an assault on the Government of the United States,” according to a copy of his prepared remarks obtained by CBS News. In the remarks, Barr also accuses Democratic members of the House Judiciary committee of trying to “discredit” him.
“To state what should be obvious, peaceful protesters do not throw explosives into federal courthouses, tear down plywood with crowbars, or launch fecal matter at federal officers. Such acts are in fact federal crimes under statutes enacted by this Congress,” Barr says.
Barr will appear in front of the committee on Tuesday for an oversight hearing. In his opening remarks, he discusses the unrest that has followed George Floyd’s death — but while he acknowledges that “every instance of excessive force is unacceptable and must be addressed,” he decries calls to defund the police, saying “the demonization of police is not only unfair and inconsistent with the principle that all people should be treated as individuals, but gravely injurious to our inner city communities.”
“I think it would be an oversimplification to treat the problem as rooted in some deep-seated racism generally infecting our police departments,” Barr says of the treatment of African Americans by police. “It seems far more likely that the problem stems from a complex mix of factors, which can be addressed with focused attention over time. We in law enforcement must be conscious of the concerns and ensure that we do not have two different systems of justice.”
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