Sen. Tom Cotton on Tuesday likened “insurrectionists” in Portland, Oregon, to Civil War-era secessionists, saying President Trump and the federal government have every right to try to keep the peace.
“These insurrectionists in the streets of Portland are little different from the insurrectionists who seceded from the Union in 1861 in South Carolina and tried to take over Fort Sumter,” Mr. Cotton, Arkansas Republican, said on “Fox & Friends.”
“And just like President Lincoln wouldn’t stand for that, the federal government today cannot stand for the vandalism, the firebombing, or any attacks on federal property,” Mr. Cotton said. “It is right to send federal law enforcement in to defend federal property and federal facilities.”
The Department of Homeland Security has deployed forces to Portland in recent days to try to protect a federal courthouse from protesters.
But local leaders have decried the tactics and said they don’t need Mr. Trump and the federal government butting into their affairs.
Mr. Trump has said that he might send agents to other cities such as Chicago, New York and Baltimore to try to quell recent violence.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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