“The Department of Justice needs to explain to me why it deployed those teams and provide a real record of their activities,” “What were they there for? Were they there primarily to chill peaceful protesters, or were they there to protect federal property? said “Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. This was in response to information that FBI agents crashed Portland racial justice protests also saying that the FBI agents were “dressed in plainclothes and embedded.”
A leader in Portland’s FBI field office, Kieran L. Ramsey, a special agent, told the media that his office aimed to target “violent instigators who exploit legitimate, peaceful protests and engage in violations of federal law.” Agents in the past have harassed liberal protesters in the past.
The FBI agents were in Portland in July 2020 to protect a federal courthouse after protesters had set fires, bashed windows and shot fireworks at law enforcement in the area. However, the federal agents’ role quickly increased to cover areas typically under the jurisdiction of local police, which ignited internal concerns.
Officials who spoke to the media said that the agents’ actions at the protest drew concerns from the Justice Department and the bureau itself regarding the American public’s right to protest against the government. “These are all insidious tactics that chill First Amendment expression and erode trust with local officials,” Bobbin Singh, executive director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, said.
A local media outlet reported that an FBI informant was in the crowd on Jan. 6, but there has thus far been no evidence to indicate that similar tactics were used for the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol earlier this year.
