Acting Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Mark Morgan on Sunday blasted Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler for blaming peace-keeping officers as a cause of the unrest in the city.
"It's ridiculous; it's absolutely devoid of all of truth; it's actually a lie," Morgan told Fox News' "America's HQ," so incensed he struggled to get his words out.
"The acts of violence that was going on were going on way before federal personnel arrived there," he said. "In addition to that, we had credible, reliable information that these criminals were going to attack the federal building, specifically the Hatfield building. And guess what they did."
Morgan also said the rioters had "willful and specific intent to destroy federal buildings and harm federal officers."
"I do not believe that anybody in this country believes that our presence is what's causing this violence," Morgan added.
Demonstrators for at least 50 nights have protested racial inequality and police brutality. Many protesters have remained peaceful, though violence has also erupted.
Morgan added a further rebuke of Democrat Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler for echoing Biden's rejection of police protecting cities during riots.
"It shows where the mayor's focus is," Morgan said. "Instead of going out there and arresting the criminals and getting out there and telling the criminals to stop doing what they're doing, he's focusing on what the law enforcement is doing."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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