“Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is trying to cash in on the tense clash between leftist protesters and ICE in Portland with a fundraising appeal accusing President Trump of dispatching troops based on flimsy “propaganda” and years-old video.
The Oct. 6 email blast to her followers says that “a huge part” of the administration’s campaign to send National Guard and federal forces to Chicago and Portland is “based on propaganda and also creating propaganda.”
“Some of it is just misinformation, it’s people just not knowing that that’s not true and amplifying it,” she claims in her missive.
That was quickly followed by an appeal for contributions ranging from $5 to $1,000. The Democratic Socialist ended her missive: “in solidarity.”
Trump has described Portland as “war ravaged” and said he has witnessed the “destruction” of the city.
And those living near the focal point of clashes with federal agents describe barely-livable conditions – with one woman forced to wear a gas mask inside her apartment.
“It’s like a war zone,” Brennah Hammar told the BBC. She has filmed gunshots and a resident getting punched near the ICE facility across the street from her home that has been the focus of clashes between protesters and police for weeks.
Another resident, Cindy Colgrove, 63, called it “115 days of hell” and said she only comes out during the day amid the chaos.
Portland police have announced dozens of arrests near the ICE facility on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to harassment and assault, with 45 arrests since June. The Portland FBI said 129 had been collared on federal charges since June 8 following the arrest of a suspect charged with assaulting an officer.
That includes incidents such as one on July 4, where the US Attorney’s office says several people who gathered near the ICE facility “targeted the building and federal law enforcement officers with threatening statements, discharging pepper spray, and throwing rocks, trash, and bricks.”
“We struggle every day, every week, with the crime and the drugs and just the unsafeness that comes with being here,” said Bison Coffeehouse owner Loretta Guzman. “It’s like our leaders have abandoned public safety,” she told Fox News.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Portland Tuesday and accused Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson of “covering up the terrorism that is hitting their streets.”
She also had a message to protesters – including one man in a full body chicken suit who a reporter pointed out to her. She called them “uneducated and ill-informed.”
“This isn’t a peaceful protest that’s under control, like many have claimed, it’s radical violence,” said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson.
AOC has amassed a stunning $15 million war chest – more than any House member – as the Bronx and Queens lawmaker eyes potential bids for the White House or the Senate. She urges donors to send her campaign cash by Venmo, PayPal, and Google Pay to “keep our movement strong.”
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