Trump administration to be investigated over use of force against protesters in Portland
Inspectors general at the Justice Department and Homeland Security Department are launching separate probes into the Trump administration's deployment of federal law enforcement officers to Portland, Oregon, and various complaints over their use of force on demonstrators, they announced on Thursday.
In a letter to three House Democratic committee chairs — Jerry Nadler of the Judiciary panel, Carolyn Maloney of the Oversight panel, and Benny Thompson of the Homeland Security panel — the DOJ IG announced it is "initiating a review to examine the DOJ’s and its law enforcement components’ roles and responsibilities in responding to protest activity and civil unrest in Washington, D.C., and in Portland, Oregon over the prior two months."
That review will include "examining the training and instruction that was provided to the DOJ law enforcement personnel; compliance with applicable identification requirements, rules of engagement, and legal authorities; and adherence to DOJ policies regarding the use of less-lethal munitions, chemical agents, and other uses of force," the inspector general wrote.
The DOJ OIG is coordinating its review of events in Lafayette Square on 1 June — when federal agents used tear gas and flash bang grenades to disperse peaceful protesters to clear a path for Donald Trump to walk to a photo op at a local church — with the inspector general at the Department of the Interior.
"If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider including other issues that may arise during the course of the review," the DOJ inspector general wrote.
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