Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty alleged that police “saboteurs” and “provocateurs” are the ones starting fires after infiltrating crowds of demonstrators who’ve dominated the streets for more than 50 consecutive nights. Hardesty later apologized after the unsubstantiated claim that was quickly shot down by the city’s police union.

“I am old enough to remember that during the Civil Rights movement, the police had provocateurs…intentionally added to the group to do disruptive stuff,” Hardesty told Marie Claire. “I have no doubt in my mind, I believe with all my heart, that that is what Portland police are doing … I believe Portland Police [Bureau] is lying about the damage — or starting the fires themselves — so that they have justification for attacking community members.”

Anti-police propaganda now featured in women’s magazines that can be found in many docs’ waiting rooms: Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty on the Protests & Federal Involvement https://t.co/yBOryeKHSZ

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 23, 2020

Speaking at a webinar on Wednesday hosted by Western States Center, Hardesty stated, “I absolutely believe that it is police action, and they are sending saboteurs and provocateurs into peaceful crowds so that they can justify their inhumane treatment of people who are standing up for their rights.”

“Portland police have consistently lied to the public,” the city commissioner continued. “They’ve lied to our congressional delegation about whether or not they were coordinating activities with this federal secret police force. Portland was never out of control. Portland’s police overreacted, which gave 45 [President Trump] permission to send in these troops,” as Willamette Week reported. “We have an ignorance at the highest levels in our city government,” Hardesty added, “people who just assumed that if the police said it happened, it really happened.”

In the Marie Claire interview, Hardest attacked President Trump. saying, “Forty-five does not want to hold an election in November because he knows he will lose, even with all the dirty tricks he will play. And so we may end up with martial law and elections canceled because there’s too much urban unrest for us to do something stupid, like voting someone into office.”

This is right out of the playbook for Marxist radicals. Misdirection, obfuscation, accusation. Anything to continue the narrative while thugs destroy society. These Democrats think they can use this violence to keep and regain more power, but people are waking up to the insanity, and the Democrats will pay dearly come November.