Mollie Hemingway: Breakdown in 'rule of law' disrupting health of civil society
Mollie Hemingway explains the importance of rule of law and its role in a healthy society
A breakdown of the "rule of law" amid protests in cities like Portland is disrupting the "health of civil society," The Federalist Senior Editor Mollie Hemingway stated Tuesday.
Appearing on "Outnumbered," the Fox News contributor said that many Portland residents -- like her mother-in-law -- are "absolutely horrified" by violence and chaos in the Oregon city.
She pointed out that while Portland's Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler "seems to think that he can declare a 'rule of law-free zone,'" there are "important federal functions" that take place under his jurisdiction.
Federal law enforcement officials stand during a protest against racial inequality in Portland, Oregon, U.S., July 21, 2020. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs - RC2KXH9ES8R1
"It's one thing...if Minneapolis allows their own police precincts to fall," Hemingway noted. "There's the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in downtown Portland that hears cases that affect the entire country.
"And, that's the role that the federal government has to play in protecting federal property, federal personnel, and frankly just restoring rule of law is a constitutional obligation, not a threat," she explained. "And, it's something that I think the vast majority of Americans are horrified by looking at -- yes, what's happening in Democratic cities and Democratic-run states -- at people not caring about preserving the civil rights and liberties of American citizens."
Tensions continued to rise in Portland this week as the Department of Homeland Security put boots on the ground in an effort to alleviate pressure on local law enforcement.
On Monday, President Trump signaled he could potentially order even more federal agents to be deployed to other liberal cities, including New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
"Well, and this is something that [has] happened in cities across the country including in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. where dozens of police were injured or treated for injuries -- some of them hospitalized with head injuries in what many people in the media and other supporters of the protests claim are peaceful protests," Hemingway said.
"Rule of law is the thing that binds us all together and when rule of law breaks down, it harms everybody. It harms citizens living their lives in cities across the country and it harms police officers whose job is to protect those citizens," she remarked.
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"And, I'm not hearing enough people talk about the importance of preserving rule of law and understanding that when we have these breakdowns as we're seeing in cities across the country, how bad that is for the health of civil society," Hemingway concluded.
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