7/22/2020 Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf calls Biden's criticism of federal law enforcement in Portland 'absurd' | Fox

9;absurd' | Fox News

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Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf calls Biden's criticism of

federal law enforcement in Portland 'absurd'
'We have clear authority," Wolf says
By Victor Garcia | Fox News

Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf rejects Joe Biden's criticism of federal law enforcement response in Portland
When peaceful protests cross the line into violence we have to take a stand, says acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf.

Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf refuted criticism from
presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden Tuesday that "Homeland Security agents"
are "brutally attacking peaceful protesters" without "a clearly de ned mandate or authority" in
Portland.

"I would say that's an absolutely absurd statement," Wolf said on "The Story with Martha
MacCallum" regarding Biden's criticism. "We have clear authority. We outline that on several

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7/22/2020 Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf calls Biden's criticism of federal law enforcement in Portland 'absurd' | Fox News

occasions, Federal Protective Service, part of the Department of Homeland Security, protects over
9,000, almost 9,000 federal facilities across the country. They do that in Portland."

ACTING DHS SECRETARY HITS BACK AT PORTLAND MAYOR'S 'COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE'

CLAIMS THAT FEDS ARE 'ESCALATING' UNREST

Portland has been hit by at-times violent protests for 52 days in the wake of George Floyd's death in
Minneapolis. This month, in response to ongoing violence against federal property and monuments,
DHS deployed federal law enforcement to the city.

There have been instances and reports of federal o cers arresting those suspected of criminal
activity, and putting them into unmarked cars. It has led to outrage from Democrats and even some
Republicans, who have accused law enforcement of heavy-handedness and illegal activity.

Wolf pushed back against criticism at a press conference Tuesday saying “we will not retreat."

The secretary slammed local o cials and radical elements en aming the violence.

"Portland is the only city that we have this radical violence. Night after night, we're on our 52nd night
of violence against that courthouse, against other federal facilities and federal law enforcement
o cers that I would say we don't have this issue anywhere else because we have local o cials and
local law enforcement working with us to protect our facilities," Wolf said.

"Portland is different and we're having to respond differently because of that. So, again, I would say
work with us. We can quell this violence. We can bring this to a peaceful conclusion and allow those
peaceful protesters who want to protest peacefully to do that when it crosses the line into violence.
That's when we have to take a stand."

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Wolf also disagreed with the notion that federal o cers weren't identifying themselves.

"It's very clear and it's very visible that they are a police o cer. They say Department of Homeland
Security in some cases, in other cases, they say Customs and Border Protection or ICE, which we
have some o cers there," Wolf said. "It's very clear that these are uniformed federal law
enforcement o cers [...] who say otherwise is just a talking point. And it's just that I don't, I don't
agree with it."

Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

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7/22/2020 Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf calls Biden's criticism of federal law enforcement in Portland 'absurd' | Fox News

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