Pramila Jayapal Presses AG William Barr Over Armed Protestors In Michigan

Source: Pool / Getty

If you’ve been paying any attention to Attorney General William Barr’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, then you already know the standout questions that came from Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash) who called him TF out for his treatment against the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing protests around the country in the wake of George Floyd.

Jayapal chewed Barr out about the way he handled the incident in Lafayette Square on June 1st, where peaceful protesters were forcibly removed from the area with tear gas, batons and weapons to clear way for President Trump to take a photo op in front of a church near the White House.  She also criticized the Attorney General for his response towards recent protests in Portland, Oregon, where federal law enforcement agents terrorized people with tear gas and other chemicals to suppress BLM protests in the city. The Congresswoman noted that the same type of treatment was not used in April when Trump supporters stormed Michigan’s state capitol building to protest coronavirus shutdowns:

“When white men with swastikas storm a government building with guns, there is no need for the president to ‘activate’ you because they’re getting the president’s personal agenda done. But when Black people and people of color protest police brutality, systemic racism and the president’s very own lack of response to those critical issues, then you forcibly remove them with armed federal officers, pepper bombs, because they are considered terrorists by the president,” Jayapal said.

“You take an aggressive approach to Black Lives Matter protests but not to right-wing extremists threatening to lynch the governor, if it’s for the president’s benefit. Did I get it right, Mr. Barr?”

Watch the clip below:

Barr’s response was that his agents were in Portland to protect federal property while the protests in Michigan happened on stat property, but fact checkers have confirmed that much of the federal response to Portland protests have taken place several blocks away from federal buildings.

It’s worth noting that there is a federal building directly across the street from the Michigan state capitol but there was no such concern there. In fact, Trump tweeted his support for the right wing activists in Michigan.

Watch a longer clip of Congresswoman Jayapal’s round of questioning for Barr below:

There are real heroes in government, ladies and gentlemen. Pramila Jayapal is most certainly one of them. She ate him UP!