Oregon Gov.: I’m Not Deploying National Guard to Portland Because They Aren’t Trained or Needed

During a press conference on Friday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) defended her refusal to deploy the National Guard to Portland despite Mayor Ted Wheeler’s request that she do so by stating that the city needs and she is relying on “our trained law enforcement” and that the Guard isn’t properly trained. Brown said that the Superintendent of the Oregon State Police, Travis Hampton, would agree with her on this point and would say that the Guard isn’t needed at the moment.

Brown said that “other states…used the National Guard for a very limited period of time.” And said that she talked with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D).

She continued, “In terms of Oregon, I’m relying on our trained law enforcement. The Superintendent of the State Police, Travis Hampton, the Portland Police Chief, Chuck Lovell, Travis — Superintendent Hampton would say that A. We don’t need the National Guard at this time, and B. That they are not trained for this work. What we need on the ground is trained law enforcement. And that’s why I created the uniform law enforcement plan, to bring both local and state officials together behind a plan to keep people safe and to protect free speech rights.”

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