The DHS secretary said ICE officers told her Portland police cheered on “rioters.” Portland’s police chief called the claim “an abhorrent allegation.”
PORTLAND, Ore. — A day after her surprise visit to Portland, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized elected city and state leaders while blaming antifa for political violence on Wednesday. Noem accused the Portland mayor and the Oregon governor of “covering up the terrorism that is hitting their streets.”
Noem made the remark during a roundtable meeting on antifa with President Donald Trump, held in the White House State Dining Room. They were joined by a number of administration officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
A handful of conservative social media influencers were also present at the roundtable. Among them was Nick Sortor, who has been at recent protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in South Portland.
“I was in Portland yesterday and had the chance to visit with the governor of Oregon and also the mayor. They’re in town and they are absolutely covering up the terrorism that is hitting their streets,” Noem said.
KGW reached out to Gov. Kotek about Noem’s remarks. Gov. Kotek released a statement.
“I met with Secretary Noem during her visit to stand up for Oregonians’ safety, deescalate the situation perpetuated by the Trump administration, and raise concerns about the aggressive tactics that federal officers are using against peaceful protesters such as tear gas and unprovoked physical force.
“It is clear from Secretary Noem’s continued false narrative about what’s happening in Portland that the Trump Administration has no interest in the facts, no interest in public safety, and that we cannot take them at their word,” Gov. Kotek said. “I support the Mayor’s decision to hold the line in response to the Trump Administration’s lies and aggressive tactics. I am calling on President Trump and his administration to focus on real problems, not made-up ones.”
KGW also contacted Mayor Wilson’s office and is waiting to hear back.
Noem also claimed federal agents in Portland recently arrested “the girlfriend of one of the founders of antifa.” Noem didn’t provide any other details but said she hopes to prosecute her and get “more information about the network and how we can root them out and eliminate them from the existence of American society,” Noem said, referring to antifa.
She went on to say that “rioters” in Portland have threatened federal agents, and Trump alleged that antifa have “repeatedly attacked our officers and laid siege to federal property.”
“In Portland — I was there yesterday — some of the ICE officers were telling me that as they drove by the rioters that were saying ‘kill ICE agents, Molotov cocktails, melt ICE,’ that the Portland police were cheering them on,” Noem said.
KGW asked Chief Day for a statement about Noem’s comment.
“While we do not wish to engage in a back-and-forth with officials, the accusation that Portland Police officers would celebrate violence against fellow law enforcement officers is an abhorrent allegation,” Bob Day said. “Since the secretary had several people documenting her movements, we urge her to provide video evidence to support this claim. Such inflammatory rhetoric undermines trust and distracts from our goal to ensure safety in the South Waterfront area. Our officers remain professional, dedicated, and committed to serving the people of Portland with integrity.”
Portland City Councilmember Angelita Morillo on Thursday refuted Noem’s claims to CNN’s Boris Sanchez, saying in part, “We were not hiding anything. The reason she didn’t see anything on the ground is because everything here is under control; people are exercising their right to free speech as they are allowed to under the Constitution, if that still matters.”
“It’s my understanding that people are still allowed to protest and get a little rowdy and exercise their First Amendment,” she continued. “That doesn’t mean that we need the National Guard or the military to come in to intervene.”
State and local leaders have repeatedly challenged the Trump administration’s description of Portland as a “war-ravaged” city that’s under siege.
Noem’s comments came following meetings with Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Portland Police Chief Bob Day on Monday. Noem visited with the local leaders and stopped at the ICE facility in South Portland.
Antifa, short for “anti-fascists,” is not a single organization. It’s an umbrella term for loosely affiliated groups that resist fascism, fascists and neo-Nazis. In late September, Trump signed an executive order designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
The Associated Press contributed to the reporting of this article.
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