President Trump to send federal agents into cities to fight crime
Fox News contributor Dan Bongino and Jessica Tarlov react on ‘The Daily Briefing.’
Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino said there is widespread misinformation about the entrance of federal law enforcement agents into Portland, Ore., to try to quell night after night of criminal behavior and violent protests.
Bongino said on "The Daily Briefing" that the claim agents from the Department of Homeland Security are "unmarked" or are stormtrooper-like is unfounded.
He said that, while in the Secret Service, he routinely made arrests either in plainclothes or in the trademark business suit worn by agents.
"You probably lost control of your city if you’re Ted Wheeler and you walk out among the protesters you think you’re safe among, and you’re not. You’re shouted down and accosted by the protesters. That should be a general rule, right?" he said.
"What's happening in Portland, the misinformation, is stunning both on the right and the left. Some say they’re unmarked, hidden troopers or whatever – they’re not troopers. They’re federal agents. They do have markings. That’s absurd."
He added that the process of a plainclothed officer or federal agent arresting someone was never controversial until recently, as the NYPD under Mayor Bill de Blasio disbanded the less noticeable "anti-crime unit."
"It’s only an issue now because it’s a talking point – because Donald Trump is president. It’s really sad. We’ll never solve the problem if we don’t speak the truth," he said.
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Of DHS' potential intervention in Chicago, Bongino cited the spiking violent crime statistics and the murders of several children.
"These are real people. So I strongly suggest everybody reevaluate their position and put politics in the lockbox and reconsider these are human lives," he said.
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