MSNBC Enables Violent Portland Protests, Tries to Make Trump the Villain

July 20th, 2020 4:30 PM

My, my, the media really cannot help themselves when excusing the violent, far-left protests that have been sowing chaos in major cities across the country over the last couple of months. During a Monday morning segment of MSNBC Live, host Stephanie Ruhle enabled the latest radicalism in Portland:

A dramatic showdown playing out right now out west for the 53rd straight day, protesters took to the streets in Portland, Oregon, after the Trump administration deployed federal agents as Black Lives Matter protests continue there. Oregon's attorney general, listen to this, is now suing the Department of Homeland Security saying those federal agents are violating the Constitution by unlawfully detaining and arresting demonstrators without probable cause and new questions this morning after video showing protesters being detained and taken away in unmarked vans.

For those who may not have seen the coverage, Antifa and other violent mobs have gripped the city in fear for nearly two months, as police and left-wing politicians have refused to do anything.

 

 

It is also important to note that these “demonstrators” have set fires, launched fireworks and other projectiles at police officers. In addition to tagging buildings, like the federal courthouses, with graffiti.

But the so-called "reporter" delivering the story to Ruhle had to excuse it all away by focusing on the “ordinary people” at the protest:

Hey Stephanie, well, a real cross-section of society has been out protesting. Ordinary people of different political persuasions. There are also some anarchists that have been out for the violence, but again, lots of ordinary people, including Beverly Barnum, she’s a mother of two, first-time protester. She's actually formed a group called the Wall of Moms.

Instead of the usual desperate effort by the media to seek out extremism when covering right-leaning protests, they now are hunting for the normal people among the violence and looting that have trampled the rights of Portland citizens for nearly two months.

To further this disgusting narrative, MSNBC hyped the Oregon state attorney general suing the Department of Homeland Security rather than the rioters:

She's not only suing the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies we also expect for her possibly even as early as today to file for a temporary restraining order to stop these federal agents from making what she argues are unlawful arrests. But when you see an agent out here in Portland confronting these protesters, it's very difficult to tell what exactly they are, who they are, where they are from because they are unmarked.

It is as if the media has never heard of unmarked police cars before. It is not uncommon, illegal, or wrong for police to be driving around discreetly conducting arrests and other businesses. Instead of calling out the ridiculousness of Portland’s elected officials suing the federal government for doing what they failed to do, namely stopping violence in their streets, the media heap praise on radical violence. The leftist press will always chase the "orange man bad" narrative over the actual concerns of Americans, namely ending the violence that plagues city streets.

Nutrisystem sponsored this shifting of the blame from Portland to Trump. Click on the link to let them know how you feel. 

Read the full transcript below to learn more

MSNBC’s Live with Stephanie Ruhle

7-20-20

9:20 AM ET

STEPHANIE RUHLE:  A dramatic showdown playing out right now out west for the 53rd straight day, protesters took to the streets in Portland, Oregon, after the Trump administration deployed federal agents as Black Lives Matter protests continue there. Oregon's attorney general, listen to this, is now suing the Department of Homeland Security saying those federal agents are violating the Constitution by unlawfully detaining and arresting demonstrators without probable cause and new questions this morning after video showing protesters being detained and taken away in unmarked vans. 

JULIE MAUS: What they want to do is scare us away, the feds. They want us to stop protesting, and it's the opposite effect, more people came out tonight 

RUHLE:  Let's go live for some answers to Portland, Oregon, where NBC’s Erin Mclaughlin is standing by. Erin, let's start with this. Who exactly are the protesters, and why now are the feds coming in?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN: Hey Stephanie, well, a real cross-section of society has been out protesting. Ordinary people of different political persuasions. There are also some anarchists that have been out for the violence, but again, lots of ordinary people, including Beverly Barnum, she’s a mother of two, first-time protester. She's actually formed a group called the Wall of Moms. Take a listen to what she had to say. 

 BEVERLY BARNUM: I saw a video of federal agents taking a person from the sidewalk into a minivan. I turned to my husband in bed and I said, when is enough enough, like when am I allowed to say I'm going to stand up for these kids, for these people 

MCLAUGHLIN: What do your kids think of all of this? 

 BARNUM: The truth? They got to see the videos on Twitter. They saw their mom being gassed. They saw me running away they saw me vomiting 

MCLAUGHLIN:  Barnham was out protesting again last night wearing yellow. They are also carrying daisies you can see one of the sunflowers here on the security fence outside the federal courthouse this has been a big flash point in all of the violence that barrier did come down last night amidst the clashes between federal agents as well as the protesters I was speaking to another woman, she's a doctor she's joined a group of female physicians that have been out protesting as well. She was telling me just how upset she is to see unmarked federal agents out on the streets of Portland, especially in the middle of a pandemic. She says she wants to see more federal sources dedicated to the fight of covid-19, not to combating protesters here in Portland so we're really hearing from a lot of ordinary people pretty upset about the situation here, Stephanie. 

RUHLE:  Can you help us understand that a little better these federal agents, where do they come from who sent them there? Because the average American would think the attorney general from the state of Oregon would be on the same side as the Department of Homeland Security, yet it's the attorney general who is suing them. What in the world is going on? 

MCLAUGHLIN: She's not only suing the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies we also expect for her possibly even as early as today to file for a temporary restraining order to stop these federal agents from making what she argues are unlawful arrests. We know that these agents have been sent by the Department of Homeland Security. We understand that some of them are from an elite unit called fourtak which normally specializes in anti-narcotic activities, part of the Border Patrol. There was actually a memo that was leaked to "The New York Times" saying that these agents that are out need more training in terms of riot control and mass demonstrations, although the Department of Homeland Security responded to that report in a tweet saying that the agents out have received the necessary training. But when you see an agent out here in Portland confronting these protesters, it's very difficult to tell what exactly they are, who they are, where they are from because they are unmarked. Stephanie?