Trump Applauds ‘Retribution’ of U.S. Marshals Killing Portland Shooting Suspect: ‘That’s The Way It Has To Be’

On Saturday, President Donald Trump seemed to endorse extrajudicial killing as he glowingly spoke of the “retribution” U.S. Marshals took that resulted in the death of an alleged shooting suspect in Portland.

Trump gave an interview to Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro, and after they mocked Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s handling of violent unrest in the city, the president turned to the news that Michael Forest Reinoehl was shot dead about a week ago. Reinoehl, an Antifa supporter, was suspected of killing a member of the Patriot Prayer group during a series of recent, violent clashes between right-wing organizations and Portland protesters.

“We sent in the U.S. Marshals for the killer, the man who killed the young man on the street. He shot him… just cold blooded killed him,” Trump said. “Two and a half days went by, and I put out ‘when are you going to go get him?’ And the U.S. Marshals went in to get him, and they ended up in a gunfight. This guy was a violent criminal, and the U.S. Marshals killed him. And I will tell you something, that’s the way it has to be. There has to be retribution when you have crime like this.”

In the Washington Post’s reporting on Reinoehl’s death, one witness said that law enforcement officers reportedly opened fire on him unannounced as he was walking to his car outside of an apartment complex. The Post noted conflicting accounts from witnesses about whether Reinoehl had a weapon on him, plus whether he tried to use it on officers before they allegedly emerged from unmarked police vehicles and started shooting without trying to make an arrest first.

The president was roundly condemned for those remarks after the clip spread around Twitter:

President endorsing straight up extra-judicial killing. https://t.co/no1WFA3qlx

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) September 13, 2020

The president of the United States celebrating extrajudicial killing of suspects https://t.co/0EPIic4hec

— Blake News (@blakehounshell) September 13, 2020

Extrajudicial execution is “the way it has to be. There has to be retribution.”

That’s where we are. https://t.co/CKJZf9mesk

— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) September 13, 2020

Chilling. https://t.co/supDh56Wou

— McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) September 13, 2020

law and order to the president apparently includes US Marshals killing a man without a trial – "that's the way it has to be" https://t.co/KVaFw2VzBk

— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) September 13, 2020

Extrajudicial killings are something many Republican U.S. Senators oppose if they happen outside of the United States. But they won’t say anything about this. Every single member of the Senate who talks about the rule of law needs to speak up, or forever hold their peace. https://t.co/0XCloTwftP

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) September 13, 2020

Watch above, via Fox News.

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