Rep. Pramila Jayapal excoriated AG Bill Barr over 'aggressive' approach to Black Lives Matter protests

AP / Elaine Thompson

• Rep. Pramila Jayapal excoriated Attorney General William Barr over his response to Black Lives Matter protests during a contentious congressional hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
• The Democratic congresswoman scrutinized the Trump administration's directive to deploy federal agents across the country to domestically police major US cities amid protests, whereas the same response was not present during anti-lockdown protests earlier this year.
• In a heated exchange, Jayapal said there is a "real discrepancy" in the attorney general's "aggressive" approach to handling the Black Lives Matter protests and claimed the anti-lockdown protests outside the Michigan capitol building, where demonstrators "swarmed" the building carrying assault weapons, seemed to be of no concern to him.
• "You are supposed to represent the people of the United States of America, not violate people's first amendment rights," she said. "You are supposed to uphold democracy and secure equal justice under the law, not violently dismantle certain protesters based on the president's personal agenda."
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Rep. Pramila Jayapal slammed Attorney General William Barr Tuesday for his response to the Black Lives Matter protests, accusing him of taking an "aggressive" approach to quell them.

During a contentious congressional hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Jayapal said there is a "real discrepancy" in how Barr treated those protests and anti-lockdown protests outside the Michigan capitol building, where demonstrators "swarmed" the building carrying assault weapons, versus Black Lives Matter protesters.

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See Also:

• 'I'm going to answer the damn question': Attorney General William Barr lost his temper with House Democrats during a contentious oversight hearing
• Trump called the 'Wall of Moms' that formed to defend Portland protesters from federal agents a 'scam'
• Trump announces a 'surge' of federal agents to US cities, including Chicago and Albuquerque

SEE ALSO: 'I'm going to answer the damn question': Attorney General William Barr lost his temper with House Democrats during a contentious oversight hearing

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