White House says 'all violence' will be reviewed when pressed on Portland, Seattle riots

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Seattle police chief calls for crackdown on left-wing rioters

Dan Springer reports on the mixed messages coming out of Seattle on prosecuting violent protesters.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday said "all violence" will be reviewed as part of the Biden administration’s effort to combat domestic violent extremism when asked about recent riots in the Pacific Northwest.

Psaki, during Tuesday’s press briefing, was pressed on a report that Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines was reviewing individuals engaged in violence during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot as domestic violent extremists, and whether ODNI would also review those engaged in unrest in Seattle, Wash. and Portland, Ore.

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"All violence happening around the country will be reviewed by the tasking by the national security team," Psaki said.

On Friday, Psaki announced that President Biden had requested a "comprehensive threat assessment" on domestic violent extremism from ODNI in coordination with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Psaki told reporters that the National Security Council would also build a new capability to focus on domestic violent extremism, which she referred to as "DVE."

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Psaki said that the decisions on policy will rely on law enforcement and guidance from the intelligence community, and that the goal would be to "disrupt violent extremist networks and more."

"We are coordinating relevant parts of the federal government to address DVE," Psaki said, adding that the NSC is "addressing evolving threats," and reviewing the role of "social media, operational responses and more."

The topic of assessing "DVE" comes after Biden, during his inaugural address, addressed "a rise of political extremism, of White supremacy and domestic terrorism," which he said, "we must confront and we will defeat."

The announcement comes just two weeks after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which left five people dead – including a U.S. Capitol Police officer – as pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol as a joint session of Congress attempted to certify the electoral votes for Biden’s 2020 presidential victory.

And it also comes as anti-fascist rioters have taken to the streets in Portland and Seattle to cause destruction and chaos last week and over the weekend.

On Monday, Psaki said the president "condemns violence" and supports "peaceful protests," but in referring to Portland and Seattle, said those activities were not peaceful.

"President Biden condemns violence and any violence in the strongest possible terms," Psaki said. "Peaceful protests are a cornerstone of our democracy but smashing windows is not protesting and neither is looting, and actions like these are totally unacceptable."

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More than a dozen people were arrested in the two cities, according to police reports, after demonstrators angry with Biden targeted government buildings and the Oregon Democratic Party building in Portland.

The demonstrators, most clad in black, spray-painted anarchy symbols on buildings, broke windows and marched under a banner that read, "We are ungovernable."

"We don’t want Biden -- we want revenge for police murders, imperialist wars, and fascist massacres," read another banner that the group marched under. 

In Seattle, hours after Biden took office last week, a group of about 100 people marched in the Emerald City, where police said windows were broken at a federal courthouse and officers arrested three people.

Federal law enforcement responded to the unrest over the weekend.