Thread by @ByMikeBaker

NEW: Internal government memos illustrate the aggressive federal plans to combat unrest:

• An FBI memo in June cited 9/11 in a call to action.

• As DHS deployed to Portland in July, a memo showed they had little sense of what was happening.

nytimes.com/2020/07/28/us/…

In the FBI memo, the bureau’s deputy director told leaders to stand up “Robust Social Media Exploitation teams” and suggested they could make use of the Hobbs Act, put into place in the 1940s to punish racketeering in labor groups.

nytimes.com/2020/07/28/us/…

The DHS memo came as federal agents were engaging with protesters in Portland. The memo described a history of violence in the city but said it had “low confidence” in its assessment of an enduring threat there.

“We lack insight into the motives for the most recent attacks.”

By the time the DHS memo was issued, on July 16, federal agents in camouflage had already been out on the streets of Portland, operating from unmarked vans and shooting protesters with less-lethal munitions.

nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/…

We previously reported on another DHS memo that warned how tactical teams deploying to deal with unrest in Portland didn’t have training on handling such demonstrations.

nytimes.com/2020/07/18/us/…