A Colorado state lawmaker is begging President Trump to send federal forces to protect law and order in Colorado.
In a letter Thursday to Mr. Trump and Attorney General William P. Barr, state Rep. Dave Williams, Colorado Springs Republican, asked that “Operation Legend” be expanded to Denver and elsewhere in the state “to protect law-abiding Colorado citizens abandoned by Governor Jared Polis while also helping to stop Governor Polis from issuing unconstitutional mandates that jeopardize Coloradans’ freedoms and way of life.”
In a tweet accompanying the public posting of the letter, Mr. Williams said his state “has been abandoned by radical Democrats in power” and said the help was needed because “selfish bas——s like Gov. Polis refuse to do so.”
Colorado has been abandoned by radical Democrats in power.
— Rep. Dave Williams (@RepDaveWilliams) July 23, 2020
Violence is at an all time high & decent hard-working citizens need relief now.
I’ve asked #Trump for help to stop criminals here because “selfish bastards” like Gov. Polis refuse to do so.#MAGA #KAG #LawAndOrder pic.twitter.com/XFJoyFMcy1
Mr. Polis has previously used the vulgar two-word phrase to refer to people who don’t wear masks in public.
In his note, Mr. Williams cited numerous crimes and public health risks, most specifically the behavior of counter-protesters at a pro-law enforcement rally Sunday in Denver.
“Raw footage from the event shows numerous violent altercations that were incited by those ’Antifa’ thugs against innocent people,” he wrote. “What was especially appalling about this incident was that the Denver Police Department was given orders not to protect the innocent from the mob.”
He also accused Mr. Polis of “allow[ing] criminals to vandalize, deface, and destroy the Capitol grounds as well as the public and private property near it. Governor Polis is also enabling these criminals to openly defecate in public areas.”
The request by Mr. Williams is not likely to be well-received in Denver, as both the city’s mayor and the state’s governor are Democrats who’ve denounced Mr. Trump and, in the former case, specifically said the city would not welcome federal assistance in handling its crime and vandalism spikes.
But Mr. Williams closed his note with a directly personal appeal to the president.
“Mr. President, we need your help now more than ever. The people of Colorado have been left to fend for themselves and you, being the President of law and order, are our only hope.”
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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