The ranking member of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee has again called on U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to take more significant measures to address the threat of what he labeled “pro-terror, anti-Israel agitators.”
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) sent a letter to Haaland on Aug. 12, following up on previous correspondence sent on Feb. 6 that reportedly went unanswered.
“It is with grave concern that I write to you once again about your failure to adequately address the criminal, violent actions of pro-terror, anti-Israel protesters on federal property,” Barasso wrote. “For the second time in two months, U.S. Park Police (USPP) officers have been left with inadequate resources and insufficient numbers of officers to defend the public and protect federal property from a malicious mob.”
Citing incidents last month when thousands of demonstrators came together to burn American flags on federal property in Columbus Plaza at Union Station in Washington, D.C., Barasso wrote that Haaland’s “failure to act decisively jeopardizes the safety of federal personnel and diminishes public trust in DOI’s ability to uphold the rule of law.”
He concluded by calling for increased support for federal personnel and strengthening security.