Former Department of Homeland Security Tom Ridge ripped his former agency’s current actions in Portland, saying it is not the office’s mission to act as domestic law enforcement.
Ridge, a two-term Republican governor from Pennsylvania and President George W. Bush’s first head of DHS, said Tuesday the Trump administration’s decision to send federal officers in unmarked vehicles with generic “police” patches on their camouflage uniforms into the streets of Oregon’s largest city to quell protests is “counterproductive,” the Pennsylvania Capital-Star initially reported.
“The department was established to protect America from the ever-present threat of global terrorism,” Ridge said on an interview with Sirius XM host Michael Smerconish. “It was not established to be the president’s personal militia.”
The Munhall native added, “it would be a cold day in hell before I would consent to an uninvited, unilateral intervention into one of my cities.”
I asked his opinion as former Secretary of Homeland Security - here's the direct answer from @RidgeGlobal today @SXMPOTUS @SIRIUSXM pic.twitter.com/DcOtVgkDZ3
— Michael Smerconish (@smerconish) July 21, 2020
Ridge couched his remarks when he said, as governor, he would work with the federal agency if needed. He said he would “welcome the opportunity to work with any federal agency to reduce crime or lawlessness in the cities,” but added the White House was wrong to do it without a state’s permission.
“I also think it sends a horrible signal globally that we’re just going to send in uninvited federal agents to deal with a state and local problem,” Ridge said.
Tom Ridge, first Sec of DHS: “The department was established to protect America from the ever-present threat of global terrorism. It was not established to be the president’s personal militia.” https://t.co/Y0BLQDkvdl
— Ivo Daalder (@IvoHDaalder) July 21, 2020
DHS, which was formed after the 9/11 attacks to improve the nation’s response to the threat of international terrorism, oversees some of the largest U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, Gov. Tom Wolf said he would oppose any attempt by the president to deploy federal officers to any city in Pennsylvania.
“It would be unwelcome here as it has been in Portland,” Wolf said during a coronavirus news conference in York.
On Monday, Trump mentioned Philadelphia as a city where he might send more federal law enforcement to put down other protests.
“We’re not going to let New York, Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of these — Oakland is a mess,” Trump said. “We’re not going to let this happen in our country. All run by liberal Democrats.”
