Politics

Biden’s Press Secretary Says White House ‘Monitoring’ Unrest In Portland And Seattle Without Commenting On Violence

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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that the White House is “monitoring” unrest in Portland and Seattle, but did not comment on the violence.

“We had our team on the ground or national security team even before 12:01 early in the morning on inauguration day, because we wanted to be able to monitor events happening across the country and any unrest that was a resulting from the last couple of weeks,” Psaki said.

Psaki was asked if President Joe Biden had a comment on recent violence in Oregon and Washington.

“I haven’t spoken with him specifically about those events, but it is something our national security team Liz Sherwood-Randall, our homeland security adviser, is closely monitoring,” Psaki said. “But if we have an additional update, I’m happy to provide it to you.”

Riots erupted in Portland and Seattle on Wednesday night after protesters confronted police. Protesters openly condemned Biden at two demonstrations and multiple rioters defaced and smashed the windows of a local Democratic Party headquarters.

Biden promised in his inaugural address to be a commander-in-chief who will bring the American people together amid tension-filled times of division and conflict.

Biden’s campaign message emphasized unity, imploring the American people to stop this “uncivil war” and band together for the sake of the country. The president has condemned violence over the last year, including the Capito riot on Jan. 6 and 2020 summer unrest.