GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter Tuesday to Democratic D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser requesting all documents related to rioting that occurred in the district after June 1.
The letter comes after a chaotic week of demonstrations that took place during the Republican National Convention. At the protests an elderly man was assaulted, the media was chased out, and a mob harassed Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul outside of the White House.
an elderly man was just assaulted. he was punched in the head and fell on the pavement pic.twitter.com/PkJsdddQGa
— Jordan Lancaster (@jordylancaster) August 28, 2020
Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Republican Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the letter’s authors, also cited demonstrations that took place August 29, where rioters set fires, shined lasers into the eyes of police officers, and went into residential neighborhoods to harass residents. The rioting resulted in one police officer being hospitalized and five others being injured in just one night, the letter said. (RELATED: Protesters Harass Politicians, RNC Guests Leaving White House After Trump’s Speech)
“Like other Democrat-run cities, the District of Columbia (D.C.) under your leadership has allowed radical left-wing violent extremists to commit senseless acts of violence and destruction,” the letter to Bowser said. “By your inaction in response to their mayhem, these left-wing agitators have become emboldened to be even more aggressive and more dangerous.”
“The recent violent confrontations on District streets and in District businesses dramatically underscore this fact,” the letter continued. “You must restore order and peace to the District before the left-wing violent extremism gets further out of hand.”
The representatives asked for all documents related to D.C.’s response to the rioting that occurred between June 1 and the present, and also requested documents on any investigations into whether the agitators were paid or otherwise enticed to riot by a third party.
“Your choice to surrender the streets of D.C. to violent left-wing extremists and agitators so that they can intimidate, coerce, and assault innocent people places at risk all who live, work, and patronize businesses in the District,” the representatives wrote. “Your actions also highlight the wisdom of the Founders to ensure that the seat of the federal government is not beholden to a particular state.”
