Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called for federal law enforcement agencies to investigate Portland’s mayor after accusing him of ordering police to allow attacks against a conservative journalist.
Cruz, a prominent Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who is also the police chief, to be investigated after members of the far-right group Proud Boys and the anti-fascist group Antifa clashed during rival protests over the weekend.
“To federal law enforcement: investigate & bring legal action against a Mayor who has, for political reasons, ordered his police officers to let citizens be attacked by domestic terrorists,” Cruz tweeted.
Three people were arrested in the clashes, Portland Police said, and three people were hospitalized.
Conservative journalist attacked:
Andy Ngo, an author and photojournalist at the conservative news blog Quilette, was seen in a video posted by an Oregonian reporter being pelted with “milkshakes,” eggs, and silly string.
Ngo, who bragged about being “hated by antifa” in his Twitter bio, had reported on numerous past clashes and his coverage had drawn the ire of the anti-fascists, KGW-TV reported.
Ngo later tweeted that someone stole his camera equipment.
“Sickening criminal assault. To mainstream ‘journalists’: don’t cover this up, don’t ignore it,” Cruz tweeted.
Trump ambassador calls for DOJ to investigate:
Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, also tweeted about the attack.
“Where is Mayor @tedwheeler? Where is the national media?!” Grenell tweeted.
"This was a pre-meditated attack on someone because intolerant radicals don't like that Andy happens to be gay, Asian and conservative,” wrote Grenell, who is gay.
Grenell wrote that he had asked the Justice Department to investigate the attack.
"I can’t just sit by and watch my friend be brutally attacked,” he wrote.
