Fox’s Napolitano: Portland needs ‘to throw the mayor out’

Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano called on the city of Portland, Ore., to “throw the mayor out,” adding federal agents sent to U.S. cities “have every right” to “defend federal property.”

The perspective comes as Portland experienced unrest for the 56th straight night, with protesters aiming fireworks at the courthouse and Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) at one point getting teargassed by federal officers.

“Portland is a unique situation and it’s very sad,” Napolitano told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday. “In fact, it’s condemnable, because you have a mayor and city officials who have handcuffed the police. So, innocent life and valuable property has been harmed as a result of that. I don’t know what those people can do. They need to throw the mayor out.”

“As [Thomas] Jefferson said, when the government systematically and repeatedly assaults your rights or refuses to protect them, it’s time for the people to alter or abolish the government,” the former judge continued. “That is not the case or doesn’t appear to be the case in Chicago or in other states where the president has actually spoken with mayors before deciding to send people in.”

“If federal assets are in Portland, just to defend federal property, they have every right to do so,” Napolitano added. “But, if they’re there to intimidate or affect the protesters, they don’t have a right to do it. In fact, they have to protect the protesters, not push them back.”

President Trump announced Wednesday that the Justice Department’s “Operation Legend” is expanding to Kansas City, Mo., Chicago, Albuquerque, N.M., and other U.S. cities in an effort to protect federal property from being destroyed or defaced.

Critics have slammed the move as singling out Democratic-run cities, charging that the president is only attempting to portray a law-and-order image ahead of his race against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden with the election just 103 days away.

“Today I am announcing a surge of federal law enforcement into American communities plagued by violent crime,” Trump said at a White House event in the East Room on Wednesday.

“No mother should ever have to cradle her dead child in her arms simply because politicians refused to do what is necessary to secure their neighborhood and to secure their city,” added the president, who said he had “no choice but to get involved.”

Operation Legend is named after LeGend Taliferro, a 4-year-old child shot and killed by a stray bullet in Kansas City on June 29 while sleeping in his bed.