Presumptive
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a press conference in
Wilmington, Del., on July 28, 2020. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
People who commit arson should be prosecuted but peaceful protesters
should be left alone, presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said on Tuesday.
Biden, 77, speaking during a rare press conference, came out against
criminal acts but accused President Donald Trump of handling the recent
riots in cities like Portland the wrong way.
“I said from the outset of the recent protests that there’s no place
for violence or destruction of property. Peaceful protesters should be
protected and arsonists and anarchists should be prosecuted. And local
law enforcement can do that,” Biden said.
“The fact is that arsonists should be accountable. People carrying
guns shooting should be held accountable. People who engage in criminal
activity should and must be held accountable and taken to trial,” he
added later.
The Obama administration was able to protect federal property without
turning the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into a “private
militia,” the former vice president claimed.
“And it can be done today, but that wouldn’t help Trump’s political
interest,” he said. “He’s determined to stoke division and chaos. It’s
not good for the country.”
The Trump administration surged federal assets to Portland on July 4
after rioters repeatedly assaulted a federal courthouse and the officers
charged with guarding it, nearly overwhelming them. Portland police
officers, limited by Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler, did little to stop
the rioters.
“These individuals are organized and they have one mission in mind:
to burn down or cause extreme damage to the federal courthouse and to
law enforcement officers,” Chad Wolf, the DHS acting secretary, told
reporters on July 21.
“These individuals congregate in the same area night after night. We
see them planning their attacks. And yet the city of Portland takes
little or no action to stop or disperse this crowd.”
Federal prosecutors have charged over 230 for committing crimes in
recent weeks in cities like Portland and Washington, including
destruction of property and assault of federal officers.
Some activists are pushing for the release of anyone charged with
crimes during demonstrations, violent or not, a position Biden disagrees
with.
Asked what he would do differently if he was in office right now, the
presidential candidate said he would use local police to quell rioting.
“When there were riots and there were federal property at stake, we were able to take care of that,” he said.
While Biden has come out against criminal acts, including the toppling of some statues, he has expressed support for defunding police departments.
A Trump campaign spokesman told The Epoch Times in an email: “While
President Trump and his administration continue to back the blue and
provide support for the local law enforcement departments trying to keep
our communities safe, Joe Biden and Democrats across the country are
consistently giving a pass to the rioters hell bent on attacking law
enforcement officers and burning down American cities across the
nation.”
“Americans know they won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America,” he added.