PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - While four Democratic Oregon lawmakers have expressed strong criticism of the Trump administration and the potential deployment of the National Guard to Portland, the state's lone Republican congressional representative, Cliff Bentz, had other thoughts on Friday.
Bentz represents Oregon District 2, which covers the eastern side of the state and is primarily rural.
"Who would want troops in their city?" Bentz said. "But, if the local law enforcement is not doing its job, then the law gives the President the right, in fact, I think the responsibility, to step up and make sure that the federal folks are protected and that federal property is protected."
Bentz said federal employees are being stopped from doing the job they're required to do under the law, as protesters at the Portland ICE building frequently block access to the facility. And he put the blame squarely on City Hall.
"Politics in Portland are such that Portland can't - and the chief of police - can't do their job, and I point right at the City Council of Portland," he said.
Commenting on President Trump's description of Portland as a hellscape or a war zone, Bentz said it is just Trump's way of communicating.
"Well, the president has a technique of communication that almost - many times - involves exaggeration," Bentz said. "I know, because I've listened to him for a long time."
While Bentz said he wishes the president would be more "factually driven" in those moments, he said Trump is correct in pointing out serious problems in Portland.
Bentz said a broken criminal justice system and tax structure are crippling the city and rejects the argument that Portland's problems are reduced to one city block.
"Portland has one less than one half of the number of police needed for a city of its size, one half less than it, so my goodness, to complain about the use of tear gas when the police in Portland aren't capable of doing their job either because of staffing or funding or politics. That's sad," Bentz said.
He also said he would like to see Portland police put up barriers to keep people out of areas, such as when Secretary Noem visited the city.
"If you don’t want people in a place, put up a barrier to keep them from going there," he said.
Bentz believes Portland police Chief Bob Day would do just that, but he is being pressured by city leaders not to.
Bentz also said he agrees the presence of the National Guard may initially increase tensions, but he believes many of the protestors want that conflict to draw attention to their message. When commenting on the chance that President Trump might bypass the Ninth Circuit Court with the Insurrection Act, he said, “I hope he doesn’t have to do it.”