Sen. Rand Paul on Sunday said that while the federal government has authority to protect its facilities in Portland, Oregon, he prefers local cooperation while warning against broadly labeling antifa as terrorists without due process.
The Kentucky Republican said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that the president has legal grounds to deploy federal forces to protect government buildings in Portland, but emphasized he was not briefed on any specific plans.
“I think he [President Donald Trump] has the legal authority to send troops to protect federal buildings and federal proceedings such as courts, and that’s been around since [the] civil rights era,” Paul said. “I do think it’s better when the states agree to it.”
Asked directly if he had seen details of a deployment to Oregon, Paul responded, “Not for Portland, no.”
Paul said local leaders let unrest spiral out of control. “We had anarchy in Portland for like six months or a year. The city didn’t even control large swaths of the city. These [areas] had federal buildings on them, and so I think there is a role for the federal government,” he said.
Still, he cautioned against the use of troops without local approval.
“Am I excited about it? No. I’d prefer not to have troops in our cities, or I’d prefer them only to come, you know, with the acceptance of the local authorities. But I do think there is a role if the states will not step up. Portland did not step up, and they let their city go, you know, they let it burn, for goodness sakes.”
When asked about antifa, short for anti-fascist, Paul warned that violent acts must be punished, but he opposed sweeping labels.
“I think you lose the description as activists once you start wielding weapons, and you show up with helmets and you’re breaking windows,” he said.
He added, “We can’t single out a group and say, ‘Oh, they’re not going to get due process because we’re calling them terrorists.’ So I’d be careful of the labels.
“But I’m absolutely for going after the people wielding clubs and sticks and fighting with the police and trying to get into the federal buildings. They have to be punished, and they will be.”
Paul described antifa as “more an ideology” than an organization, saying, “I don’t think they have a president, they don’t have a local chapter. It is more an ideology.”
He noted the legal limits for U.S. authorities in comparison to those of overseas counterterrorism efforts.
“When we have to go after terrorists in the Middle East, we send … a Hellfire missile or a drone often. In the United States, it’s much trickier to be a police,” he said.
“I have a great deal of respect for our police because you’re right, they have to respect the Fourth Amendment, the First Amendment, and so we have to be careful with labels, but that doesn’t mean we should go soft on antifa and these people that are committing violence.”
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