The Department of Justice on Monday declared New York City, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon, as "anarchist jurisdictions" in the first move to rescind their federal funding, The Washington Times reports.
President Donald Trump issued a memo earlier this month asking the DOJ to determine jurisdictions that it thought were not properly enforcing the law, as he repeatedly criticized cities led by Democrats for their response to the ongoing protests.
Attorney General William Barr said in a statement that the cities "have permitted violence and destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract criminal activities."
Barr continued: "When state and local leaders impede their own law enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest."
He added, "We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance. It is my hope that the cities identified by the Department of Justice today will reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens."
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted Trump's memo earlier this month, saying, "I believe the President is fundamentally a bully, which I've said too many times, and I've known him very well for a very long period of time. It doesn't work in New York because you can't bully New Yorkers. We just don't get bullied."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.