Portland, Ore., Sheriff Says He ‘Will Never Support’ President Trump

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After President Trump said that in «Portland, the sheriff just came out today, and he said, I support President Trump,» during a presidential debate, the sheriff of Multnomah County, which includes Portland, Ore., said he has never supported Trump.

Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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During the presidential debate on Tuesday night, President Trump claimed the «Portland sheriff» supports him.

Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Elections
From Debate Stage, Trump Declines To Denounce White Supremacy

«Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,» the president said. «But I’ll tell you what: Somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left. Because this is not a right-wing problem — this is a left-wing problem.»

The Proud Boys group is «notorious in Portland for provoking violence and street brawls at political rallies,» member station Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.

In July, the Trump administration sent federal agents to Portland, saying they were needed to protect a federal courthouse — and prompting weeks of sometimes intense clashes — despite objections from Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.

«We don’t have a secret police in this country. This is not a dictatorship. And Trump needs to get his officers off the streets,» Brown told NPR. Sending a federal force to Portland, she said, was «like adding gasoline to a fire.»

Reese was also critical, saying, «the actions by out-of-state federal agents … failed to display good decision-making and sound tactical judgment.»

Welcoming an inquiry by the Justice Department’s inspector general, Reese added, «These actions caused a significant setback in our local efforts to end the nightly violence around the Justice Center and in Portland.»

Around the same time, Reese refused to meet with acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, saying that despite his initial hopes for an open discussion, it had become clear to him that the situation in Portland «was becoming highly politicized.»

Reese, who is a former chief of the Portland Police Bureau, became Multnomah’s sheriff in 2016. He was elected to the nonpartisan position after initially being called upon to finish the term of his predecessor, Dan Staton, who had resigned following persistent accusations that he fostered a toxic workplace environment.