Biden Condemns Recent Riots: Press Secretary
Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki briefed White House reporters on Monday on the issue of the recent riots in the Pacific Northwest.
She was questioned on why Joe Biden criticized riots before becoming president, but hasn’t said anything since. The far-left Antifa group vandalized buildings and clashed with police in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington on Jan. 20. They also set fire and smashed windows at businesses in Tacoma, Washington, on Sunday night.
“President Biden condemns violence and any violence in the strongest possible terms. Peaceful protests are a cornerstone of our democracy, but smashing windows is not protesting, and neither is looting,” Psaki answered.
Mr. Terrell, a supporter of former President Trump, said there was a “passiveness [on] the rioting that’s going on in the Northwest,” which was carried out by crowds touting Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
The Capitol rioting spurred the second Trump impeachment and ignited widespread condemnation on the left and right, in large part because the mob sought to stop the 2020 election certification, while the months of protest violence in major U.S. cities over issues such as racism, capitalism, border policy and police conduct has been mainly denounced at the national level on the right.
Mr. Terrell challenged Democrats to speak out.
USA TODAY
About a dozen people were arrested during small Inauguration Day protests in the Pacific Northwest intended to pressure President Joe Biden into action on immigration and police reform.
Police in Portland said in a statement they arrested eight Wednesday afternoon on charges of felony criminal mischief, riot and possession of a destructive device after some in a group of 150 people smashed windows and vandalized the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Oregon.
The FBI previously warned of possible armed protests around the inauguration in state capitals by supporters of former President Donald Trump, but these demonstrators were described by local media as antifascist and anarchists.