Sen. Cotton calls for Justice Department action against pro-Hamas rioters in Los Angeles | The Jewish Press – JewishPress.com | David Israel | 20 Sivan 5784 – Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Photo credit: CPT TB Cotton, US Army

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark) on Tuesday sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland, calling on the government to respond to the attack on the Adas Torah Synagogue in Los Angeles on June 23 (Pro-Hamas rioters clash with Jews at Adas Torah Synagogue in Los Angeles). The attack by pro-Hamas radicals on the Jewish community in Los Angeles included blocking the entrance to the synagogue, attacking Jews, and calling for an “intifada revolution.”

Senator Cotton wrote:

“This brutal attack came after months of anti-Semitic violence on college campuses and just weeks after Hamas supporters vandalized national monuments outside the White House. The Biden administration’s inaction against these mobs, like its inaction against Democratic street militias who harassed Supreme Court justices outside their homes in 2022, has emboldened these extremists to escalate their attacks.”

Cotton did not mention the events of January 6, 2021, on which his opinion at the time coincided with his outrage over the mob attack in LA:

“Last summer, when riots took over the streets, I called for troops to be sent in if necessary to restore order. Today, insurrectionists have occupied our Capitol. Fortunately, Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies were able to restore order without the need for federal troops. But the principle remains the same: no mercy for insurgents. Those who attacked the Capitol today should face the full force of federal law.

“It is past time for the President (Trump – DA) to accept the election results, stop deceiving the American people, and reject mob violence. And the Senators and Representatives who fanned the flames by encouraging the President and making their supporters believe that their objections could overturn the election results should withdraw those objections. In any event, Congress will fulfill its constitutional duties tonight.”

In his letter to the President and Attorney General, Senator Cotton demanded:

The Justice Department and federal law enforcement should take immediate action to protect the Jewish community and prosecute these gangs. I call on the administration to launch a manhunt for each of these anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist rioters with the same vehemence with which it pursued the non-violent Trump supporters who were at the Capitol on January 6th. Failure to do so would only further expose this administration’s pro-Hamas bias. In addition, please provide the following information by July 1, 2024:

1. Did city or state officials inform the Justice Department about the planned pro-Hamas protests? Were federal police forces called upon to protect the Jewish community?

2. Have you referred this case to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice?

3. Is the Justice Department investigating whether these outbreaks of violence are being funded and organized by outside groups? Provide a list of all outside groups associated with funding or organizing pro-Hamas or anti-Israel protests.