Tom Ridge Says He'd Likely Resign Before Letting Federal Agents Into American Cities

[Rhiannon12866]

Tom Ridge, The First Homeland Security Secretary, Says He’d Likely Resign Before Letting Federal Agents Into American Cities

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Over 100 federal officers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have been sent to Portland, Oregon, in recent days.

That has brought protest from many, including a number of mayors like Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, who said on Wednesday that he’d fight in court any such effort to send federal agents here.

Now the nation’s first secretary of Homeland Security, former Pa. Gov. Tom Ridge, says he’d likely resign rather than use DHS forces in this way.

Violence in Portland, often directed against their federal building, has sparked controversy on the use of federal Homeland Security forces over the strong objections of the city’s mayor and the state’s governor.

<snip>

But federal police presence without the consent of local and state officials brought strong condemnation from Ridge.

“It would be a cold day in hell before I would consent or agree to the unsolicited, uninvited intervention in any of my cities,” Ridge told KDKA political editor Jon Delano. “I certainly don’t favor that kind of action, and certainly don’t think DHS was designed for that purpose to start with.”

Ridge urged President Donald Trump to work with state and local officials, not against them.

“We have strength in numbers. And unified, we could probably accomplish more than him acting independently,” Ridge said.


Read more (Includes video): https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/07/22/tom-ridge-says-he-would-likely-resign-before-letting-federal-agents-into-cities/

[japple]

1. And to think we poked lots of fun at Tom Ridge back in 2002 for

this:



That all seems kind of quaint now.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I know, I remember members joking about the "color of the day"

But it could actually come in useful right now when it comes to states - as long as we are allowed to know the truth. How is Arizona doing, how about California and Florida? Rachel Maddow talked about it tonight - we all need to aspire to get back to "green."

[Harker]

3. Substitute "Trump" for "terrorist"

and it could make a comeback.

[Jamastiene]

6. You KNOW things have gotten bad when the Bush years look

mild in comparison. The Bush years were horrible. The Trump era is cruel and unusual punishment.

[KG]

4. piss on tom ridge, defund / disband homeland security.

[gordianot]

5. The fact remains Tom Ridge helped form conditions that made this abuse possible.

He can go to hell.