President Trump is escalating his fight with city leaders as he looks to send federal law enforcement agents beyond Portland, Ore., and into Chicago and other U.S. cities.
Trump on Wednesday announced that the Justice Department’s “Operation Legend” — an effort to help local police combat violent crime — is expanding from Kansas City, Mo., to Chicago, Albuquerque, N.M., and other U.S. cities.
he move comes as agents Trump deployed to protect federal property in Portland have come under widespread criticism for their heavy-handed tactics. Though the deployment to Portland was not part of Operation Legend, local leaders from other U.S. cities are made nervous by the federal response they’ve seen unfold in Portland. They also feel uneasy because the orders come from a president who has made it a point to single out Democratic-run cities and is eager to flex his law-and-order image ahead of the 2020 election. Continue reading.