Attorney General William Barr chided House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her rhetoric toward federal officers.
During a Tuesday hearing with the House Judiciary Committee, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins asked if Barr believed Pelosi and other Democrats referring to law enforcement as “storm troopers” encourages further violence against police. In response, the attorney general said it was possible.
“The storm trooper comments by the speaker of the House, and we know that that is a direct reference to the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party,” Collins began. “As the son of a state trooper, I want to know your opinion. Don’t you think it encourages the violence that we’re seeing, it encourages this participation against the police?” Collins asked.
“I think that’s possible. And I think it’s irresponsible to call these federal law enforcement officers ‘storm troopers,'” Barr responded.
Last week, Pelosi told reporters that “the use of storm troopers under the guise of law and order is a tactic that is not appropriate to our country in any way.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed with Pelosi’s sentiments, adding that the federal response to civil unrest was “so un-American, so in keeping with third-world countries and dictatorships.”
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf has repeatedly said the Trump administration does not plan to withdraw federal agents from Portland, Oregon, amid violent riots. He has also denied reports that unidentified law enforcement agents detained protesters into unmarked vehicles.
