Republicans on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees on Wednesday demanded D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser answer for the increased protester violence plaguing the nation’s capital, including the angry mob that swarmed people attending President Trump’s nomination speech.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, along with the top Republican on the Oversight Committee James Comer of Kentucky, penned a letter to Ms. Bowser questioning why more wasn’t done to confront the agitators.
“Your choice to surrender the streets of D.C. to violent left-wing extremists and agitators so that they can intimidate, coerce, and assault innocent people places at risk all who live, work and patronize businesses in the District,” they wrote.
“You must restore order and peace to the District before left-wing violent extremism gets further out of hand,” they wrote.
Mr. Comer and Mr. Jordan have asked the mayor to turn over all documents and communications outlining the city’s response to “violent left-wing agitators harassing peaceful individuals” between June 1 and the present.
They are also seeking all documents and communications relating to probes into whether the violence has been induced by a third party.
Ms. Bowser did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In recent weeks, angry mobs have plagued the district, culminating with harassment as visitors left Mr. Trump’s White House speech to accept his party’s nomination for president.
Video posted online showed a crowd surrounding Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, and his wife, as they left the speech. Demonstrators closed in on the couple, shouting and yelling at them.
One man yells repeatedly, “say her name,” a reference to Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by police in March in Kentucky, the state Mr. Paul represents.
Other incidents highlight by Mr. Jordan and Mr. Comer include the rioters using lasers to blind police and starting fires on Aug. 29 and a group of Black Lives Matter protesters confronting diners at district restaurants, demanding patrons support leftist causes.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.