Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said “nobody really knows” who is driving the raucous violence at protests related to the death of George Floyd and faulted the Justice Department for casting blame on left-wing militants.
He said Attorney General William Barr, who pointed to “Antifa-like” tactics in the protests, should be investigating instead of “making incendiary comments.”
“The truth is, nobody really knows,” Mr. Ellison told NBC’s Meet the Press. “What the exact political motivation is is unclear at this point.”
White House officials say it is clear that far-left militants are infiltrating protests, causing unrest to boil over.
Yet liberal voices have pointed to the possible interference of white nationalist groups.
“There’s been a lot of videotape taken by demonstrators of people who are very suspicious, who really did start breaking windows,” Mr. Ellison said.
He cited a widely distributed video of a white man in dark clothing who broke windows at an AutoZone store.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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