The U.S. Justice Department is opening an investigation into the Portland Police Bureau’s “questionable” practice surrounding weeks of sustained attacks and violent rioting targeting federal buildings and agents in the city.
The news was announced just hours after conservative journalist Nick Sortor was arrested by Portland Police after he was surrounded by a mob of far-left rioters, some of whom damaged his equipment and ultimately assaulted him. Despite the circumstances of the attack, Sortor was taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct.
Just a day before, on-the-ground reporter Katie Daviscourt — who has consistently documented far-left and Antifa violence in Portland, Seattle and other cities — was assaulted with a metal poll. The incident was captured on camera, though the perpetrator was not arrested despite the fact that an officer was standing just feet away.
The Portland Police Bureau confirmed that one of its “dialogue liaison officers,” sworn officers tasked with “hold[ing] a safe space” for protesters, lost track of the suspect. The DLO followed the woman, who was described as a white female with a large septum nose piercing wearing a black mask and carrying a backpack, trying to talk to her to “hear her side of the story,” according to a news release from the department.
Reminder….
The Antifa thug that punched journalist Katie Daviscourt in the face was not arrested by Portland PD but Journalist Nick Sortor was arrested by Portland PD.
We have a major problem in Portland. pic.twitter.com/sTN49lzvpf
— C3 (@C_3C_3) October 3, 2025
Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, announced Friday that an investigation into the Portland Police Bureau’s conduct and practices had been opened under the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We will not leave the people of Portland at the whims of criminals and woke cops. Govern yourselves accordingly!” Dhillon posted on X.
In a letter dated Friday to Portland City Attorney Robert Taylor and Police Chief Bob Day, Dhillon pointed to numerous concerns about the police response to several incidents, including the arrest of Sortor and alleged police actions that blocked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from accessing their Portland facility.
Dhillon’s office requested unredacted incident reports related to the use of force, arrests and other actions and communications regarding directions given to police officers responding to protests at ICE facilities within the past 30 days,” Fox News reported. Dhillon requested that the relevant documents be provided to her office no later than October 10.
In a statement to Fox News, a city official confirmed that the notice was received while city lawyers were in court attempting to stop President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard assets to the city.
“We are still reviewing this inquiry and do not have a comment at this time on specific requests lodged by the federal government,” the city said. “What we can say is this: Mayor Wilson has full faith in the Portland Police Bureau’s commitment to protecting public safety, upholding the rights of all individuals to lawfully assemble and impartially enforcing the law.”
Portland — a longtime hotbed of Antifa and other left-wing extremism — has seen nightly protests outside of federal buildings and sites used by ICE agents. A number of the protests have turned violent, especially in recent weeks after the Justice Department dispatched additional resources to assist beleaguered agents.
On Friday, the Trump Administration announced that federal funding to the city was under review.
“This incident is part of a troubling trend in Portland, where left-wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city. It is not their city; it is the American people’s city, and President Trump is going to restore that,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in reference to Sorter’s arrest.
“I just spoke with the president about this, and he has directed his team here at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut to Portland. We will not fund states that allow anarchy.”
, 2025-10-04 15:20:00, , Trending Politics Conservative Breaking News and Commentary, %%https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/cropped-tp-fav-2-32×32.png, https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/feed/, Cullen McCue
