As Twitchy told you over the weekend, Ted Cruz called out Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler for not only failing to take any action to curb Antifa violence, but also allowing it to fester:
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. https://t.co/5xyCDARICl https://t.co/c0Tf3SsKEf
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 30, 2019
Meanwhile, Wheeler took time yesterday to pat himself on the back for being such an awesome supporter of the First Amendment who totally stands against violence.
Portland has always been a beacon of free speech. We are proud of that history.
— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) July 1, 2019
But in the last couple of years, some have increasingly used their opportunity to exercise their 1st amendment rights, as an opportunity to incite violence.
— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) July 1, 2019
Wheeler, of course, took absolutely no responsibility for the increase in violence. He did, however, fire back at Ted Cruz:
Dear @TedCruz,
At least get your facts straight. I ordered no such thing.
Could you divert some of those investigation dollars to something that would actually benefit American cities? Infrastructure, affordable housing, mental health services come to mind. https://t.co/btI14p8fkJ
— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) July 2, 2019
Could Ted Wheeler stop trying to divert people’s attention from the mess he’s made?
Ok, Mr. Mayor. You want talk “facts.” Great. Fact 1: a conservative journalist was violently assaulted by ANTIFA thugs on the streets of your city. Fact 2: you said “I support the Portland Police Bureau’s decision not to intervene.” Fact 3: you have a pattern of withdrawing…1/2 https://t.co/xkQiJ7sPyl
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 2, 2019
Flashback to October 2018, in the aftermath of another time when Antifa was part of Portland’s proud free speech tradition:
“I was appalled by what I saw in the video, but I support the Portland Police Bureau’s decision not to intervene,” he said at a press conference. “This whole incident will be investigated.”
The video posted by journalist Andy C. Ngo showed protesters, including members of antifa [sic] and Black Lives Matter, blocking an intersection and attempting to direct traffic at while officers on motorcycle watched from a block away.
At one point, the activists chased down 74-year-old Kent Houser after he made a right turn against their wishes, pounding on his silver Lexus and breaking a window. The car sustained thousands of dollars in damage, he told the Oregonian.
Even so, Mr. Wheeler insisted that “motorists should feel completely safe coming into downtown Portland.”
It sure sounds like Wheeler is cool with Antifa violence. At the very least, he’s cool with maintaining conditions that foster Antifa violence.
More from Cruz:
2/2…police protection to further your political agenda. When ANTIFA terrorists threatened ICE in Portland, you ORDERED police not to protect federal agents. Here’s a US Senate resolution (which I joined) condemning your partisan civil rights violations: https://t.co/KQAN94Ssn0 https://t.co/lCp7KDjPCs
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 2, 2019
It’s right here, Ted Wheeler:
I drove by the demonstration yesterday, it seemed to be very peaceful and I was pleased to see that. I want to be very clear I do not want the @PortlandPolice to be engaged or sucked into a conflict, particularly from a federal agency that I believe is on the wrong track (2/4)
— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) June 20, 2018
So, Mayor Wheeler … who’s the one who needs to get his facts straight?
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