DOJ looked into the possibility of charges against local officials in Portland

Justice Department prosecutors looked into the possibility of bringing criminal or civil charges against local officials in Portland, Oregon, over their handling of weeks of protests that for a period laid siege to a federal courthouse and other buildings, according to Kerri Kupec, a Justice Department spokeswoman.

Posted 6:53 p.m. Sep 17, 2020 — Updated 6:53 p.m. Sep 17, 2020

Evan Perez

, CNN Justice Correspondent

CNN — Justice Department prosecutors looked into the possibility of bringing criminal or civil charges against local officials in Portland, Oregon, over their handling of weeks of protests that for a period laid siege to a federal courthouse and other buildings, according to Kerri Kupec, a Justice Department spokeswoman.

The idea is part of Attorney General William Barr's push for aggressive action by federal prosecutors against violence surrounding nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May.

Typically, in times of local unrest, local prosecutors take the lead in bringing charges against people carrying out violence. But Barr has pushed for greater use of federal prosecution, even in relatively minor cases usually left up to local district attorneys to enforce. The Justice Department has announced charges against more than 250 people related to civil unrest since June.

Barr has railed against some left-leaning district attorneys, whose views on criminal enforcement have prompted fewer such prosecutions. In a nationwide conference call with prosecutors, Barr recently brought up the possibility of charging some violent protesters under a rarely used sedition law, which makes it a crime to seek to overthrow the US government

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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