Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America via Wikimedia Commons

The battle lines in Portland and the media are hardening. As federal law enforcement officers deploy to protect federal buildings and monuments against increasingly violent rioters, the media is also escalating its information war. Even analysts on Fox News are adding to the misleading hysteria.

While it is easier to dismiss biased reporting from the establishment media on a controversial Trump topic such as this, critical commentary from a prominent Fox analyst is different.

Fox News senior judicial analyst, and former New Jersey Superior Court judge, Andrew Napolitano, recently slammed the Trump administration for sending federal law enforcement to Portland, Oregon, calling the move “unconstitutional” and “just plain wrong.”

Sadly, in this case, Napolitano is the one who is just “plain wrong.”

“You have anarchy on one hand,” Napolitano said Monday, according to The Hill, adding that, “If the troops come in the streets, you have a potential for even more violence on the other hand.”

Later, on Tuesday, reported Fox News, Napolitano said, “Federal agents in Portland, Ore., must confine their law enforcement duties to the protection of federal assets and wear uniforms that identify them,” adding, ‘They have to be restrained’ – referring to what Federal agents in Portland can and cannot do.  He added that they simply can’t enforce general criminal laws.

First, let us address the judge’s first comment where he calls the federal officers’ “troops” – an obviously incorrect and inflammatory reference. These are all duly appointed law civilian law enforcement officers – calling them troops is deceiving and “just plain wrong.” And President Trump sending them to Portland is in no way “unconstitutional” – and Napolitano knows better.

Also, Judge, since when do our political leaders refrain from enforcing the law and control “anarchy” out of fear the anarchists will get more violent?

Napolitano is correct that federal law enforcement officers sent to cities facing rioting are limited in what they can do, and as he stated, according to Fox News, “They can’t supplement or replace the police,” Napolitano explained. “They can’t go throughout the streets and say, ‘Hey, you’re committing a crime. We’re going to arrest you.’”

However, Napolitano’s jumping on the left-wing media bandwagon claiming that these officers have gone beyond that scope and are just detaining people arbitrarily – is based on incomplete and misleading news reporting. This is unprofessional and that narrative is also “just plain wrong.”

Napolitano steps into the fire when he claims, according to Fox News that:

They certainly can’t do what they have been doing in Oregon, which is arresting people without a warrant and without probable cause, holding them for a few hours and then letting them go…So they have to be restrained and they have to confine their activity to the federal property.

While out-of-context videos or biased reports from protestors can be used to paint a nefarious picture of feds randomly picking up innocent people on the streets, facts provided by court records about how the federal officers are operating shows a very different reality.

As local news outlet, OregonLive reported, “Feds conduct surveillance from courthouse, analyze social media videos, post undercover agents in crowds,” to decide who to detain or arrest. Using court records from recent cases, the outlet reported:

Federal officers have conducted surveillance of protesters from upper floors of the downtown …Courthouse, analyzed live nightly video footage and posted undercover agents among crowds to arrest people on allegations ranging from shining lasers at officers to breaking plywood protecting courthouse doors, federal records reveal.

Federal officers also have shared some of their information with Portland police officers, who assisted them in at least one arrest earlier this month, the documents disclose.

OregonLive added:

Federal agents have taken photos of people committing vandalism and reviewed video of action outside the courthouse, sometimes relying on live streams from demonstrators or independent journalists shared via Twitter, YouTube or other social media, according to federal officers and prosecutors.

They have monitored people before wading into crowds to make arrests — sometimes waiting for hours until the gatherings have thinned…

These records seem to show that the federal officers in Portland are not randomly snatching people off the street, but simply waiting for the opportune and safest moment to apprehend suspects who attacked federal assets or personnel earlier. Other times they pass their intelligence to local law enforcement. All perfectly legal and appropriate.

Perhaps Napolitano and other uninformed critics should do some research to understand how the feds are really operating in Portland, before giving their “expert” opinion.

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Comments

  1. It is time for the local police and the Feds to document the damage being done. Charge the rioters and make them pay for every penny of damage and the cost of employing the Cops and Federal officers that are needed to stop the destruction. Maybe George Soros and Micheal Bloomberg will enjoy the cost of paying for there law breaking. Make them pay for anything and everything involving the riots.

    1. Eddie Muenster is continually wrong about everything he says! FOX News has become so much like cnn and msnbc!

      1. If these protestors are living with their parents put pressure on seeing their parents for reimbursements. About time Mommy and Daddy wake up and instill some values and morals into these WOKE WOKE

  2. I used to like and admire Judge Napolitano until he became a foolish never-Trumper lightweight. I do remember once in the last five years when he was right, but it has been a really long time.

    He needs to realize that New Jersey law (if there is such a thing) as well as other state – and local law – is subordinate to Federal law especially in cases of National emergencies; and with state and local governments abdicating their responsibilities, it has now become a National emergency.

    1. Judge Nap is still mad because President Trump wouldn’t pick him for the High Court. He sure has turned.

  3. OLE, IT’S JUST ANOTHER CASE OF LYING DEMOCRAT PILE ON! ANYTHING TO MAKE THE PRESIDENT LOOK BAD! IF LOCALS WONT ENFORCE THE LAWS WHO WILL? TRUMP OUR PRESIDENT, THAT’S WHO WILL. HE SHOULD GET AN ATTA BOY NOT A SCOLDING FROM LEFT WING LIARS!

  4. Those Forces are there to Guard Fed facilities & also the local govt WONT help.
    Thats why theyre there.
    Guard Fed Facilities
    Deter crimes on facilities

  5. He needs to back off his “self agrantizing” posture. He is not our “mother superior ” of legal issues, law or interpretations or…his opinions.
    He has become a political mole. It’s been time to retire judge. You are losing public confidence.

  6. I stopped listening to advice from the judge sometime ago. Found him to be wrong most of the time. Always has a knee jerk reaction. Had my picture taken with him several years ago. I used to be proud of it. Have since moved it to the “wall of shame”. What a disappointment he is.

  7. Judge jumps to conclusions right or wrong without vetting or researching the problem at hand. That’s why he was not hired or selected to the Supreme Court. Time to hang up his appearance and falaw statements on Fox. Many people refuse to watch due to judge, Bret Bair, Marsha McCellan and that out of shape ignoramus Cavuto – looks like he rarely misses a Meal.

  8. When did Napolitano turn out to be such a douche bag? I used to think that was somehow connected to reality but the last few years has demonstrated that he will do whatever whoever pays him tells him to do. What do they call escorts that do that….?

  9. Napolitano has had a hardon for Trump since he passed him over for the Supreme court. He should see if CNN is hiring.

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