Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, said President Trump’s effort to send federal police to Chicago is a “political trick” and that if the president were serious about curbing violent crime in Windy City, he would support the legislation. gun control.
Duckworth, a possible running mate for Democrat Joe Biden, criticized Trump’s deployment of the federal law in Portland and said he will oppose any effort to make Chicago Trump the next target for crackdown on protesters.
“It is a political trick,” Duckworth told Fox News in an interview Wednesday. “I mean, if you look at what happened in Portland, you actually have federal officers, we’re not even sure which agencies altogether, they wear military-style uniforms, they drive in unmarked vehicles, they grab peaceful protesters off the streets and drive with them in the middle of the night. That is not acceptable. You cannot enter and politicize the government in a way that attacks Americans who peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights. “
TRUMP TO ‘SURGE’ FEDERAL AGENTS TO CHICAGO, OTHER CITIES IN THE MIDDLE OF PEAKS IN VIOLENT CRIME
Trump has repeatedly pointed to Chicago and its spike in shooting and murder as an example of what’s wrong in Democrat-led cities. Last week, Trump announced at a White House ceremony that he would “take” federal law enforcement officials to the city to stop the violent crime that has claimed the lives of many, including young children.
The mission of the Chicago deployment is to help identify, arrest, and prosecute the criminals responsible for violent crime, while the Portland deployment has focused on protecting the federal court from harm. Local officials in Oregon want federal officials to come out and blame their aggressive police tactics, including the use of tear gas in crowds, for inciting violence.
TRUMPET TO EXPAND THE DOJ OPERATING LEGEND TO CHICAGO, ALBUQUERQUE IN THE MIDDLE OF UNREST
Duckworth said what the federal government really needs is sensible gun control legislation that prevents guns from falling into the wrong hands.
“If the president really wants to tackle gun violence in Chicago, then he can call [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell today and ask us to vote on sensible gun control legislation, like universal background checks, like finishing high-capacity magazines of 30 rounds or more, “said Duckworth.” These things would happen. They are supported in a bipartisan way. And 90 percent of Americans support universal background checks [and] closing the gaps. … We can do better and we can do more. “
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has criticized Trump in the past, agreed with the Trump administration that federal officials will focus on investigating the crimes and will not turn into clashes with protesters, such as in Portland.
Duckworth was more open to a specific association with federal officials, but was concerned that the presence of the federal police might turn into violent police tactics against protesters who have regularly taken to the streets since George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
“Now if you want to send federal resources to Chicago to work with the city of Chicago, with Mayor Lightfoot’s administration and working with local law enforcement, I’m willing to take a look at it,” Duckworth said. “But if he is going to send unbranded people who will take peaceful protesters off the streets and Americans who simply exercise their fundamental rights and drive them out in unbranded trucks, then I will oppose him every step of the way.”
MAYORS OF CHICAGO, PORTLAND, OTHER CITIES DEPLOYMENT OF THE ‘FEDERAL FORCES’ RIOT-GEAR CLAD ‘
The Trump administration’s effort in Chicago is part of Operation Legend, named for a 4-year-old boy, LeGend Taliferro, who was shot dead in Kansas City on June 29. The Justice Department program began in Kansas City on July 8, added Chicago and Albuquerque on July 22, and only Wednesday expanded to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee.
Trump said last week that “hundreds” of federal officials will descend on Chicago to curb violent crime, while admonishing cities for bowing to protesters’ demands to dismiss police. Trump said the agents will come from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security. .
“This riot of violence is shaking our nation’s conscience and we are not going to wait and see it happen,” Trump said.
