Dozens of Republican House lawmakers on Thursday requested the Department of Justice to investigate individuals or groups funding and organizing the ongoing riots and civil unrest.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) led the total of 50 lawmakers in sending a letter to Attorney General William Barr calling for those behind the riots to be investigated.
“We write to share our deep concerns regarding the ongoing violence that has gripped American cities and threatened the rule of law across our nation,” the letter reads. “ANTIFA and other left-wing anarchist groups have unleashed a barrage of totalitarian attacks on our country in recent months, including accosting a sitting U.S. Senator, hijacking peaceful rallies, organizing armed riots, destroying property, burning buildings, stealing livelihoods, and spreading hate.”
Rep. Buck said of the letter in a statement: “ANTIFA and other far-left anarchist groups have wreaked havoc on our nation for far too long. Americans deserve to feel safe and secure in their own communities. It is time that AG Barr and the DOJ take action to investigate and prosecute the groups responsible for these violent riots. I am proud to lead this effort with my colleagues to put a stop to these coordinated attacks that have subverted our system of government and way of life.”
The congressional request comes after acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf said that the DOJ had launched an investigation into the organization of the violent protests, sparked the police-involved death of George Floyd and shooting of Jacob Blake.
“It’s something I’ve talked to the AG personally about, and I know that they are working on it,” Wolf replied when asked by Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson about a possible probe into the rioters. “Look, we’ve seen about 300 arrests across this country regarding civil unrest and protesting — violent protesting, I would say criminal protesting, criminal rioting. We have got about 300 arrests. About a third of those or a hundred of those arrests have been in Portland specifically.
Wolf added: “I know the Department of Justice has charged about 74 or 75 individuals there in Portland with different federal crimes, and we’ll continue to see how those investigations are going. The Department of Justice is also targeting and investigating the head of these organizations, the individuals that are paying for these individuals to move across the country.”
More details to follow.
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