WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump claimed without evidence on Monday that an insurrection is taking place in Portland, Oregon, as he seeks to deploy National Guard troops to the city amid what he describes as surging crime.
He made the comments during an interview on Newsmax.
Earlier on Monday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he might invoke the Insurrection Act of 1792, which would allow troops to directly participate in civilian law enforcement, for which there is little recent precedent.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward; editing by Kanishka Singh)
Oregon officials declined to pursue charges against conservative journalist Nick Sortor on Monday after his arrest in Portland during a chaotic protest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.
Sortor was captured on video being taken into custody on Thursday and was initially charged with second-degree disorderly conduct. He was later released, but his arrest quickly went viral after he claimed he was detained following a confrontation with two Antifa-affiliated individuals.
However, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office has since reversed course, issuing a statement dropping charges against Sortor due to insufficient evidence that a crime was committed.
Conservative journalist Nick Sortor, left, was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, during protests outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon. On the right are two men who were seen fighting near the facility.(X/@yogashortsss; X/@KatieDaviscourt)
“After a careful review of the investigation, including reports and video, we do not believe the crime of Disorderly Conduct can be proven against Mr. Sortor beyond a reasonable doubt,” the press release said. “The two other individuals arrested for Disorderly Conduct October 2nd have been charged.”
The statement continued, “We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Portland Police Bureau to manage the situation near the ICE building during this time of political unrest. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s office remains committed to a fair and impartial administration of justice.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day celebrated the decision and the District Attorney’s Office review.
Federal agents, including members of the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and the police, attempt to keep protesters back outside a downtown U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on October 05, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
“I want to thank the District Attorney’s Office for their thorough review of this case. Since June 8, 2025, we have made 36 arrests in the area near the ICE facility. We remain focused on ensuring a safe environment for everyone in the South Waterfront,” Day said. “Our enforcement actions are guided solely by law and probable cause, not by politics or personal characteristics. We are committed to upholding the rule of law equally and fairly, regardless of political affiliation, gender, age, race, or economic status.”
He added, “We will continue our efforts in the South Waterfront to investigate crimes, make arrests when warranted, and refer cases involving criminal behavior to the District Attorney’s Office.”
Portland, Oregon has been the site of several chaotic ICE-related protests.(X/@KatieDaviscourt)
Though Sortor called the announcement a “victory” on X, he hinted at further legal action.
“I will still be appearing in court at the Portland Justice Center at 2pm PT to finalize this. And trust me, this is ONLY the beginning,” Sortor wrote.
(CNN) — The state of Illinois and Chicago on Monday sued the Trump administration over its move to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago as the White House targets Democrat-led cities amid weeks of protests against the federal government’s immigration enforcement campaign.
The lawsuit opens a new front in the legal battles the White House is waging against state and local officials, coming just hours after a federal judge blocked a similar deployment of the guard to Portland, Oregon.
“Defendants’ deployment of federalized troops to Illinois is patently unlawful,” the lawsuit says. “Plaintiffs ask this court to halt the illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional federalization of members of the National Guard of the United States, including both the Illinois and Texas National Guard.”
The lawsuit comes two days after the White House announced President Donald Trump authorized sending 300 members of the Illinois National Guard to Chicago to “protect federal officers and assets,” reprising a strategy he first used against anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests in Los Angeles and Washington, DC.
News of the deployment was condemned by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who said he refused to call up the National Guard after the Trump administration demanded he do so. On Sunday – after learning the administration also planned to send 400 members of the Texas National Guard to Illinois and Oregon, among other places – Pritzker likened the move to an “invasion.”
The lawsuit asks the court to order the administration to stop federalizing or deploying any National Guard troops to Illinois, and to declare the federalization of National Guard troops more broadly as unlawful.Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are among the defendants named.
In a statement, a White House spokesperson said the president “will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”
“Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has exercised his lawful authority to protect federal officers and assets,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson told CNN.
The complaint, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, argued the deployments are politically motivated, claiming Trump has a long history of making “threatening and derogatory” comments about Chicago and the state of Illinois, dating to at least 2013.
Among other examples, it calls out a September 6 social media post by Trump in which he said Chicago would “find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” referring to the president’s rebranded name for the Pentagon.
Illinois and Chicago have already seen a “surge” of federal agents, some of whom have responded to demonstrations at an ICE facility in Broadview, near Chicago, the lawsuit says. Those protests are a “flimsy pretext” to deploy National Guardsmen to the state, the lawsuit says.
Instead, “Defendants’ provocative and arbitrary actions have threatened to undermine public safety by inciting a public outcry,” the lawsuit says, because local and state law enforcement have been sent to “maintain the peace” in Broadview while ICE continues operating the facility.
“There is no legal or factual justification” for the National Guard federalization order, the lawsuit says.
Illinois’ complaint follows a similar challenge to the administration’s move to assign federalized guard troops from Oregon and California to Portland.
Officials in both states had objected, and a Trump-appointed federal judge on Sunday temporarily blocked the deployment of National Guard from anywhere in the US to Portland.
The president, the judge said, appeared to have “exceeded his constitutional authority” by federalizing troops, because protests in Portland “did not pose a ‘danger of rebellion.’”
This story has been updated with additional information.
A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to deploy National Guard troops into Portland in a late-night decision on Sunday.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut ruled the action was unlawful and unconstitutional, issuing an emergency temporary restraining order to halt the deployment of California’s National Guard. The order also bars the use of troops from any other state or Washington, D.C. in Oregon.
Immergut’s ruling says that the Trump administration’s action violates federal statute 10 U.S.C. §12406 and the Tenth Amendment.
“It appears to violate both 10 U.S.C. §12406 and the Tenth Amendment,” Immergut said during the proceeding, according to reporting from Adam Klasfeld of AllRise News.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, ruling the action unconstitutional.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Immergut also pressed Justice Department attorney Eric Hamilton on why the DOJ continued to pursue troop movements.
“How could bringing in federalized National Guard from California not be in direct contravention of the TRO that I issued yesterday?” she asked. “You’re an officer of the court. Aren’t defendants circumventing my order?”
Hamilton went on to deny any wrongdoing but did offer a defense to which Immergut pushed back.
“You have to have a colorable claim that Oregon conditions warrant deploying the National Guard — you don’t.”
Law enforcement officers stand in tear gas outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility during a protest on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Portland, Oregon.(AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Oregon’s Scott Kennedy said it felt like “a game of rhetorical Whac-A-Mole” and referenced reports that Trump may be considering sending Texas National Guard troops to Chicago.
DOJ representatives requested a stay, but Immergut denied both the stay and the administrative delay, saying it was an “emergency” and there were no new facts to justify the request to change her previous ruling.
“I’m handling this on an emergency basis with limited briefing,” she said. “No new information has been provided about any new issues in Portland.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks after U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted an emergency temporary restraining order to stop President Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
“BREAKING: We just won in court — again. A federal judge BLOCKED Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to DEPLOY 300 OF OUR NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO PORTLAND. The court granted our request for a Temporary Restraining Order — HALTING ANY FEDERALIZATION, RELOCATION, OR DEPLOYMENT of ANY GUARD MEMBERS TO OREGON FROM ANY STATE. Trump’s abuse of power won’t stand,” the post stated.
The Justice Department has made indications that it will be appealing the ruling with arguments that the president retains authority under federal law to deploy National Guard forces in cases of “domestic unrest.”
The Trump administration deployed more than 100 California National Guard members to Oregon overnight into Sunday, officials there said, and more are expected after a judge temporarily blocked the administration from deploying that state’s guard to Portland.
Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement on Sunday that she is aware that 101 federalized California National Guard members arrived in Oregon on Saturday night and that it is her understanding that more are on the way.
“We have received no official notification or correspondence from the federal government regarding this action by the President,” she said. “This action appears to [be] intentional to circumvent yesterday’s ruling by a federal judge.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state’s 300 National Guard troops being sent to Oregon had already been federalized in response to unrest in Los Angeles.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson confirmed the deployment, saying, “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement.”
On Saturday night, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed by President Trump during his first term, issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from sending the National Guard. The move came after Mr. Trump said he would send troops to the city to handle “domestic terrorists.“
Immergut said the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces and allowing the deployment could harm Oregon’s state sovereignty. The restraining order is set to expire on Oct. 18, according to court records.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has recently been the site of nightly protests.
“The facts haven’t changed. There is no need for military intervention in Oregon,” Kotek said. “There is no insurrection in Portland. No threat to national security. Oregon is our home, not a military target.”
Following the ruling, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson indicated an appeal was likely, saying in a statement that “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
Newsom said he plans to sue the Trump administration for federalizing his state’s guard to send to Oregon. Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement that California personnel were on their way Sunday and called the deployment “a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.”
“The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens,” Newsom said in the statement. “We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the president of the United States.”
The California National Guard referred the Associated Press’ questions to the Defense Department. A department spokesperson declined to comment.
Federal agents, including members of the Department of Homeland Security, the Border Patrol, and police, attempt to keep protesters back outside a downtown U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Oct. 04, 2025, in Portland, Oregon.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Mr. Trump has characterized both Portland and Chicago as cities rife with crime and unrest, calling the former a “war zone” and suggesting apocalyptic force was needed to quell problems in the latter. Since the start of his second term, he has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities.
Mr. Trump authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago on Saturday.
Mr. Trump deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in the District of Columbia.
On Saturday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said that the Trump administration intends to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members after he was offered an ultimatum to deploy the troops himself but refused.
Last month, Mr. Trump signed a presidential memorandum mobilizing federal law enforcement agents to Memphis, Tennessee, at the request of the Tennessee governor.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday that he intends to seek a court order in an attempt to stop President Trump’s deployment of California National Guard troops to Oregon.
Calling the president’s action a “breathtaking abuse of power,” Newsom said in a statement that 300 California National Guard personnel were being deployed to Portland, Ore., a city the president has called “war-ravaged.”
“They are on their way there now,” Newsom said of the National Guard. “This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.”
Trump’s move came a day after a federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked the federalization of Oregon’s National Guard.
The president, who mobilized the California National Guard amid immigration protests earlier this year, has pursued the use of the military to fight crime in cities including Chicago and Washington, sparking outrage among Democratic officials in those jurisdictions. Local leaders, including those in Portland, have said the actions are unnecessary and without legal justification.
“The Trump Administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words — ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the President himself, as political opponents,” Newsom said.
In June, Newsom and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta filed a federal lawsuit over Trump’s mobilization of the state’s National Guard during immigration protests in Los Angeles. California officials are expected to file the court order over Sunday’s deployment using that existing lawsuit.
Newsom has ratcheted up his rhetoric about Trump in recent days: On Friday, the governor lashed out at universities that may sign the president’s higher education compact, which demands rightward campus policy shifts in exchange for priority federal funding.
“I need to put pressure on this moment and pressure test where we are in U.S. history, not just California history,” Newsom said. “This is it. We are losing this country.”
Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Portland, Oregon, after a federal district court blocked the attempted federalization of Oregon’s National Guard:“In response to a federal court order that blocked his attempt to federalize the Oregon National Guard, President Trump is deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Oregon. They are on their way there now. This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power. The Trump Administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words — ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the President himself, as political opponents.This isn’t about public safety, it’s about power. The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens. We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the President of the United States.” —Governor Gavin NewsomTrump illegally sends California troops to OregonDespite a federal court order finding no legal basis to deploy state National Guard troops to the streets of Portland and ordering that control of the Oregon National Guard be returned to state command, the Trump Administration is now sending 300 federally controlled members of the California National Guard to Portland to take their place. The troops had originally been federalized months ago in response to unrest in Los Angeles — conditions that never necessitated their deployment in the first place, and have long since subsided anyway. Courts rebuke Trump’s lawlessnessIn its ruling yesterday, the federal judge appointed by President Trump rejected the Trump Administration’s justification for deploying federalized troops, writing in its order: “This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation.”The court found that the President’s own statements regarding the deployment of federalized National Guard were not “conceived in good faith” and were “simply untethered to the facts.”
Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Portland, Oregon, after a federal district court blocked the attempted federalization of Oregon’s National Guard:
“In response to a federal court order that blocked his attempt to federalize the Oregon National Guard, President Trump is deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Oregon. They are on their way there now. This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power. The Trump Administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words — ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the President himself, as political opponents.
This isn’t about public safety, it’s about power. The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens. We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the President of the United States.” —Governor Gavin Newsom
Trump illegally sends California troops to Oregon
Despite a federal court order finding no legal basis to deploy state National Guard troops to the streets of Portland and ordering that control of the Oregon National Guard be returned to state command, the Trump Administration is now sending 300 federally controlled members of the California National Guard to Portland to take their place. The troops had originally been federalized months ago in response to unrest in Los Angeles — conditions that never necessitated their deployment in the first place, and have long since subsided anyway.
Courts rebuke Trump’s lawlessness
In its ruling yesterday, the federal judge appointed by President Trump rejected the Trump Administration’s justification for deploying federalized troops, writing in its order:
“This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation.”
The court found that the President’s own statements regarding the deployment of federalized National Guard were not “conceived in good faith” and were “simply untethered to the facts.”
President Donald Trump’s crime and immigration crackdown hit a legal roadblock in Portland, Oregon, as new details emerged about the administration’s plan to send federal troops into Chicago. On Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s effort to federalize 200 members of the Oregon National Guard. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut said the plan to send troops to Portland likely overstepped Trump’s authority and threatened state sovereignty. “This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation,” Immergut said. The decision was celebrated by state and local leaders who brought the lawsuit, but the White House vowed to appeal. “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland has been at the center of recent protests. On Saturday, hundreds marched to the building, prompting federal agents to deploy tear gas, among other crowd-control munitions. At least six people were arrested. Similar demonstrations and a similar debate have been playing out in Chicago. On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said federal agents shot and injured one woman during what the agency described as a “defensive” response to an alleged vehicle-ramming attack. On Saturday, Trump authorized 300 troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago, despite opposition from Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker. The timeline of the National Guard’s arrival was not immediately clear. More from our Washington Bureau:
President Donald Trump’s crime and immigration crackdown hit a legal roadblock in Portland, Oregon, as new details emerged about the administration’s plan to send federal troops into Chicago.
On Saturday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s effort to federalize 200 members of the Oregon National Guard. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut said the plan to send troops to Portland likely overstepped Trump’s authority and threatened state sovereignty.
“This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation,” Immergut said.
The decision was celebrated by state and local leaders who brought the lawsuit, but the White House vowed to appeal.
“President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland has been at the center of recent protests. On Saturday, hundreds marched to the building, prompting federal agents to deploy tear gas, among other crowd-control munitions. At least six people were arrested.
Similar demonstrations and a similar debate have been playing out in Chicago. On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said federal agents shot and injured one woman during what the agency described as a “defensive” response to an alleged vehicle-ramming attack.
On Saturday, Trump authorized300 troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago, despite opposition from Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker. The timeline of the National Guard’s arrival was not immediately clear.
Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged Sunday to fight the move in court.
There was no official announcement from Washington that the California National Guard was being called up and sent to Oregon, just as was the case when Illinois’ governor made a similar announcement Saturday about troops in his state being activated.
The California National Guard referred questions to the Defense Department. A department spokesperson declined to comment. There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement that California personnel were on their way Sunday and called the deployment “a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.” He said these troops were “federalized” and put under the president’s control months ago over his objections, in response to unrest in Los Angeles.
“The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens,” Newsom said in the statement. “We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the president of the United States.”
A Trump-appointed federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to deploy the Oregon National Guard in Portland to protect federal property amid protests after Trump called the city “war-ravaged.” Oregon officials and Portland residents alike said that description was ludicrous.
During remarks to military leadership on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the military should use “dangerous” U.S. cities as “training grounds.”
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, issued the order pending further arguments in the suit. She said the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces and allowing the deployment could harm Oregon’s state sovereignty.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has recently been the site of nightly protests.
Trump has characterized both Portland and Chicago as cities rife with crime and unrest, calling the former a “war zone” and suggesting apocalyptic force was needed to quell problems in the latter. Since the start of his second term, he has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities.
Trump authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago on Saturday.
Detectives Stephanie Winter and Devin Rigo of the Hillsboro, Oregon, Police Department had never encountered a crime scene like the one they encountered in January 2023.
Natalie Morales: How would you two characterize this case when you first got it? What did you think?
Det. Stephanie Winter: You know, I just thought that it’s a wild case.
Det. Stephanie Winter: It was in the evening … after nine.
Det. Devin Rigo: So we all got a page on our department cell phones saying that there was … death at Intel.
Intel, the giant tech company known for its innovative computer chips, had several large production facilities in Hillsboro, outside of Portland.
Det. Stephanie Winter: It didn’t make sense. … He looked like he had passed peacefully. … there was minimal blood within the car.
POLICE FIND A DEAD BODY INSIDE AN OREGON PARKING GARAGE
The deceased was Kenneth “Kenny” Fandrich, age 56, a contract pipe fitter at the plant. His wife, Tanya, had reported him missing when he was late getting home. Like many couples, they shared their locations on their phones. Tanya tracked him to the Intel parking lot.
She was already there at the garage when police arrived with body cameras rolling.
OFFICER (police bodycam video): So, we’re going to have the fire — we’re gonna have the medics —
TANYA FANDRICH: Where is he? …
OFFICER: He’s here in the garage somewhere …
A short time later, she learned that her husband was dead.
The Hillsboro Police Mobile Command Center was stationed at the scene, and that was where detectives first talked to Tanya.
Natalie Morales (Inside the Mobile Command Center): That night, you — you brought Tanya Fandrich, right in here … What did she seem like to you?
Det. Dayanna Mesch: She was very monotone … in the way she was speaking.
Detective Dayanna Mesch was first to interview Tanya Fandrich.
Det. Dayana Mesh: She seemed very out of her body. Like she didn’t react as —
Natalie Morales: Mm-hmm.
Det. Dayanna Mesch: — as much as you would think somebody would … but I had to kind of pull a lot of the answers out of her.
Mesch learned more about why Tanya had been at the scene.
Det. Dayanna Mesch: She told me that they had some issues in the past with their marriage … now … they would check in on each other more often. …
Natalie Morales: Do alarm bells sort of go off here?
Det. Dayanna Mesch: Yeah. There was some suspicion … we always look at the people closest to the deceased.
But Mesch knew better than to draw conclusions right away.
Det. Dayanna Mesch: Everybody grieves differently … it just was different than other victims I’ve seen …
There was a lot to process for Tanya and investigators. The scene did not appear violent.
Det. Stephanie Winter: His lunch bag … his lunch, his keys, his phone, all set neatly next to him in the passenger seat.
Det. Stephanie Winter: My first thought was, how are we going to figure this out?
Their first clues would come from those surveillance cameras.
Security cameras capture a masked man wearing glasses and a hard hat spraying security cameras with blue paint inside a Hillsboro, Oregon, Intel parking garage.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
Det. Devin Rigo (watching security video): So he will pop up right here, uh, next to that column that we’re seeing right here in the — in the corner. Just kinda waits for a camera and then just pops up.
The detectives discovered a man wearing a hard hat and red-mirror tinted glasses had actually spray painted those cameras around 7 a.m. earlier that same day — his movements undetected by Intel security.
Det. Devin Rigo: I wanna say about six or seven cameras.
But there were also cameras that had not been sprayed. And investigators locked in on images of a vehicle they believed belonged to the suspect.
Det. Devin Rigo: We’re looking at early afternoon now, and then we see this maroon van come in the parking garage. And no front plate on the car.
It was an older, maroon-colored Dodge van. They tracked the van’s movement’s camera by camera before it disappeared. Under a layer of blue spray paint, moments later they could just make out the van pulling into a parking spot.
Det. Devin Rigo (watching security video): So right here, you can see that the van is this shadow right in here.
Natalie Morales: OK, right.
Det. Devin Rigo: And then, this vehicle right here is actually Kenneth Fandrich’s black Honda Civic.
Kenny Fandrich seen in the parking garage at 3:21 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2023.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
It was 3:21 p.m., just after Kenny had finished his shift.
He is seen on video walking back through the garage. And then… very hard to see… behind the blue spray paint.
Det. Devin Rigo (watching surveillance video): You can see a little bit of movement right here —
Natalie Morales: Mm-hmm.
Det. Devin Rigo: — in the — in the thing. And that is Kenneth walking back to his car.
Det. Devin Rigo: You just kind of have to watch the — kind of shadows essentially what’s going on —
Natalie Morales: Mm-hmm.
Det. Devin Rigo: — between the two vehicles.
Det. Devin Rigo: — you start seeing the headlights flash a couple times like, you know … somebody be unlocking their car.
Detectives say the headlights on Kenny’s Honda flashed as he unlocked his car with his key fob. That’s when they believe the masked man grabbed Fandrich, still holding onto his keys.
Det. Devin Rigo (watching security video): You see a lot of movement happening all of a sudden.
Natalie Morales: Then you see a lot of lights.
Det. Devin Rigo: A lot of lights.
Detectives say that’s Kenny desperately pushing his key fob as the masked man dragged him into that maroon van.
Natalie Morales: What do you think that’s what’s going on in there during that when you see those lights flashing?
Det. Devin Rigo: We think … that’s when the person in the van is murdering Kenneth.
Detectives say Kenny was killed inside that maroon Dodge van before the killer staged Kenny’s body in his black Honda.
That meant the van itself would be a critical piece of evidence – the actual murder scene.
Det. Devin Rigo: There could have been … clothing … and who knows … what … else in that minivan.
But finding the van would be a challenge. They couldn’t see the license plates or the driver.
The results of the autopsy would reveal – Kenny Fandrich had died from “blunt and compressive trauma of the neck.”
His neck had been broken. But who would want to kill Kenny Fandrich?
Det. Devin Rigo: It was really … initially like this big whodunit for us, a big mystery.
A mystery they hoped might be solved when Intel security staff told investigators about another incident — additional video images from the garage recorded a month earlier.
Det. Devin Rigo: … we learned that, hey, FYI, we — about a month prior, we reported our cameras being spray painted as well.
That incident was investigated — a criminal mischief call — but they never figured out who it was.
Det. Devin Rigo: … it was a man dressed in a —
Det. Stephanie Winter: A construction —
Det. Devin Rigo: — construction helmet, black glasses, a mask. And we’re like, well, that’s a clue.
Security cameras in the parking garage captured a masked man spray-painting cameras in the same parking garage a month before Kenny Fendrich’s murder, left, and the day of, right.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
Investigators were 100 percent certain it was the same person, wearing different glasses, and they say these new images revealed an unusual clue.
Det. Stephanie Winter: We had this — this distinctive forehead crease that we could see in this photo.
Natalie Morales: That little bit of forehead that you see.
Det. Stephanie Winter: Just the little bit of forehead. That’s — that’s what we got.
Natalie Morales: That’s a very odd clue right there
Det. Stephanie Winter: It is … But for us it was a big — a big deal.
And the detectives had one other “big deal” — something Tanya Fandrich told them the night her husband died.
OFFICER (police bodycam video) Has he — has he been having any issues lately?
TANYA FANDRICH: No, but he has a stalker.
A stalker — who had been harassing her husband. And she had proof: a video from their ownhome security camera.
Det. Devin Rigo: You actually see the person … kinda crawl and move around a bit underneath the — the trailer right there.
WHO WAS STALKING KENNY FANDRICH?
In the early hours of the investigation into the murder of Kenny Fandrich, his wife Tanya told detectives her husband had a stalker — seen on the couple’s home security cameras in the carport of their home in Oregon City, Oregon.
A person, pictured far right on the ground, is captured on home security video from the carport of the Fandrich home.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
Devin Rigo: Here’s …some sort of like utility trailer right here. … And you’ll notice right under the trailer — you actually see the person … kinda crawl and move around a bit underneath … the trailer right there.
Tanya told detectives the stalker was her old boss, Dr. Steven Milner. Milner was a well-to-do veterinarian, worth millions. She had worked with him in his clinic as a vet tech.
Friends Cheryl Choquette and Darlyn Robinson were longtime clients of the vet.
Natalie Morales: What was he like —
Darlyn Robinson: He was —
Natalie Morales: — as a vet?
Darlyn Robinson: — he was wonderful. He was very compassionate, caring, kind.
Cheryl Choquette: He was a great vet.
Choquette even took part in a video Milner made for his clinic, which had aired on the local news.
Natalie Morales: The kind of vet that get — gets down at the level of the dog? Like on the floor with them?
Cheryl Choquette: Definitely on the floor.
And both Choquette and Robinson knew Tanya — at least by sight.
Darlyn Robinson: She was there for, I think 19 years and … she was the one who would come out and get us to take us back to the room and kind of do the intake on the animals.
Cheryl Choquette: Just a sweet, nice lady, very, you know, kind of quiet … but super friendly and very caring.
Dr. Steven Milner
The Wayback Machine
Detectives soon learned about a complicated relationship between Tanya and Milner. Tanya told investigators she and Milner had once had an affair — it began in early 2017. At the time, Milner was separated, and Tanya said her relationship with Kenny hit a rough patch.
Natalie Morales: Did you notice any interactions between her and Dr. Milner?
Cheryl Choquette: Just completely professional. … It was just, you know, he comes in, she goes out of the room.
Natalie Morales: He was the boss?
Cheryl Choquette: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
But Robinson thought she noticed something.
Darlyn Robinson: There came a point where my brain just kind of went, I wonder if there’s, you know, something going on, cause …. just looks they would give each other.
Milner and Tanya tried to keep their affair quiet, say investigators. Milner even gave her a secret name: Kiki.
Mahalee Streblow: One of the nicknames … was Kiki Essex.
Prosecutor Mahalee Streblow worked on the case.
Mahalee Streblow: It’s one of those, that’s like … you know, the name of your first pet and then the street that … you grew up on.
But the couple’s affair was exposed after a few months in July 2017, when they attended a wedding together. Prosecutor John Gerhard.
John Gerhard: There were employees from the veterinary clinic that were there.
Mahalee Streblow: She was under the impression that Kenneth was out of town for work.
John Gerhard: Tanya indicated that they had both been drinking and that they were engaging in more physical intimacy in front of the employees during that wedding.
As the night ended, Tanya went home with Milner.
Mahalee Streblow: Lo and behold, Kenneth was not out of town for work.
When Tanya didn’t return home that night, Kenny went to Milner’s house.
Mahalee Streblow: And that’s how they got caught.
Det. Devin Rigo: Kenny didn’t confront or make a big scene at the house. He kind of left the house and then started calling, um … to try to figure out what’s going on.
According to Tanya, she ended the affair soon after they were caught.
Det. Devin Rigo: After that … the relationship with Tanya and Steve Milner kind of stopped —
And that’s when Kenny Fandrich said Dr. Milner started harassing him.
Michael Fuller: When Kenny came to me, he was terrified.
Michael Fuller was Kenny’s attorney.
Michael Fuller: This stalking issue had basically consumed his life.
Fuller says Milner started with harassing calls, then escalated from there.
Michael Fuller: Milner literally coming onto his property in the middle of the night … following him, to work, threatening him, those type of things.
Tanya eventually left Milner’s clinic. But Milner continued to track Kenny. Detectives found plenty of evidence of exactly how he did it.
Det. Devin Rigo (looking at evidence with Morales): Tanya actually provided this to us. … and this is one of the actual tracking devices that Steven Milner had placed on one of their vehicles.
Natalie Morales: — is this the device there?
Stephanie Winter: So this — so this is the device.
Natalie Morales: Uh-huh.
Stephanie Winter: We believe this to be the battery pack. And what they had done and put it in this case with the magnets –
Natalie Morales: Mm-hmm.
Stephanie Winter: — and then put it up underneath their vehicle.
In August 2019, roughly two years after Tanya said she ended the affair, Kenny applied for an order of protection against Milner. But detectives would learn the harassment continued – and the vet’s infatuation with Tanya deepened.
Stephanie Winter: He wanted Tanya, and he wasn’t going to stop.
THE VETERINARIAN’S OBSESSION
Within days of Kenny Fandrich’s death, investigators set their sights on a suspect: veterinarian Dr. Steven Milner. Detectives learned he was obsessed with Tanya.
There were love notes.
John Gerhard (reading letter aloud):One of them was: “the one absolute rock, solid truth is that I love you. I have never loved anyone that way. … I am consumed by your soul.”
He wrote letters like that for years even after Tanya had said the affair was over.
Detectives also learned more about Tanya’s relationship with her husband Kenny.
Det. Stephanie Winter: It was a tumultuous relationship. … Alcohol came into play between them. … they were often, you know, as you can say, hot and cold … They argued a lot.
Kenny had been charged with domestic violence years before but the charges were not pursued, and the couple reconciled. Then, in August 2021 — years after Tanya says she ended the affair with Milner — the couple had another fight; this time she was arrested.
The next day, something surprising happened.
Det. Devin Rigo: Somebody posted her bail. She had $25,000 bail … when she leaves the jail, Steven Milner is in the parking lot waiting for her.
Tanya told investigators she ended up staying with the doctor for a couple of days before returning to Kenny. She insisted nothing romantic happened. Milner was just helping her out as a friend.
Det. Devin Rigo: To this day … none of us can figure out how Steven Milner actually found out she had been arrested that night.
That case was later dismissed and the couple reunited again. But Milner’s campaign of harassment continued.
Natalie Morales: What do you think his end goal was … what did he think he could do — end their marriage and then end up happily ever after —
Det. Stephanie Winter: Exactly.
Natalie Morales: — with Tanya?
Det. Devin Rigo: Yeah.
Det. Stephanie Winter: Exactly. … He wanted Kenneth out of the picture. So, he could be that white knight to save Tanya.
In March 2022, just ten months before Kenny’s murder, Milner followed Kenny from Oregon City all the way to Hillsboro — a 45-minute drive.
Kenny spotted him and called police. Milner was pulled over as body cameras captured the interaction.
OFFICER EDWARDS (police bodycam video): Hi, Officer Edwards, Hillsboro police. … Do you know why we’re stopping you today?
DR. STEVE MILNER: Yeah. I’m trying to get a hold of this guy that — I’m following him.
Dr. Steven Milner seen on police bodycam video after Kenny Fandrich called police to report he was being followed by Milner.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
The responding officer learned from dispatch that there was history between the two men.
OFFICER (police bodycam video): What’s your role in the whole thing?
DR. STEVE MILNER: Uh, she has been a friend of mine for 20 years.
Milner told police he believed Tanya was in danger because she had allegedly told him Kenny was abusive.
DR. STEVE MILNER (police bodycam video): I’m the only person who gives a sh** and I’m not allowed to give a sh** …
OFFICER: So here’s my advice to you, OK? And this is very, very strong advice. Leave them alone. He wants nothing to do with you. She wants nothing to do with you. … If you show up at their house, if you contact them, anything like that, you’re gonna go to jail.
After that traffic stop, Kenny filed for a new order for protection. The original one had expired years earlier.
Michael Fuller: Kenny was absolutely in — in fear of his life.
And two weeks later, he was so stressed out, he told police he crashed his car.
Kenny Fandrich, seen on police bodycam video from March 28, 2022, talks with an officer after crashing his car.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
KENNETH FANDRICH (police bodycam video): … my wife and I have been fighting today —
OFFICER: Sorry.
KENNETH FANDRICH: — and um, I thought she was at her boss’s house, where I’ve caught her cheating on me.
OFFICE: I’m sorry.
KENNETH FANDRICH: And I was driving over there, and he’s just like right down at road and, I lost control on my car. I just –
Kenny’s attorney says his client had every reason to be stressed out.
Michael Fuller: Kenny told me that Milner … said, “Hey, I’m a veterinarian. I’ve done surgeries and I have the tools to chop you up into little pieces.”
In August 2022, after Kenny found another tracking device under his car, Milner was criminally charged and was awaiting trial.
Michael Fuller: It was pretty clear to me that Milner was not in his right mind.
Just a month later, Kenny filed a civil suit seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars for invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress — allegedly brought on by Milner’s stalking, harassment, and trespass.
Five months later Kenny Fandrich was dead.
Just days after the murder, detectives were convinced that Steven Milner was that man behind the mask, but they needed more evidence.
Det. Devin Rigo: We need to get eyes on Steven Milner because we know there was some sort of violent confrontation. We want to see if he had any injuries.
Not wanting to tip him off – investigators asked him to come in for a check in about the stalking case.
Det. Devin Rigo: So, we arranged a meeting for Steven to come in to sign some paperwork. … Detective Winter was inside at a reception desk.
Natalie Morales: And your goal sitting there at the receptionist desk — sort of as an undercover, right?
Det. Stephanie Winter: I wanted to see if he had any injury to himself. … He walks in. He looks extremely nervous.
Another person in the office noticed something.
Det. Stephanie Winter: She says, “Hey, he has got makeup on his face.”
Makeup, investigators say, Milner used to cover up a scratch on his nose.
Natalie Morales: Bingo. You’re thinking we got our guy?
Det. Stephanie Winter: I — I — yep. At that point, I thought, this is him. This is our guy that — that did this.
Moments later, after Milner walked out the door —
DEPUTY DAVIS (police bodycam video): Hi sir, I’m Deputy Davis, the Sheriff’s Office. We’re being recorded by my camera. So, everything is going to be audio and visually recorded. … Do you understand that?
DR. STEVE MILNER: Yes.
DEPUTY DAVIS: OK, sounds good. … Right now, you’re being detained.
Police noticed that the masked man and Steven Milner shared the same facial feature – a deep vertical forehead crease. Were they the same person?
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
On Jan. 31, 2023, four days after Kenny Fandrich was found dead, Steven Milner was taken into custody. Within days, Milner was charged with second-degree murder and stalking.
With Milner in custody, Rigo and Winter were quickly able to connect one important clue from those surveillance camera images: that unusual crease in the masked man’s forehead.
Det. Stephanie Winter: There’s that very prominent forehead crease that I don’t — he couldn’t hide if he tried.
Natalie Morales: There is no amount of makeup hiding that crease.
Det. Stephanie Winter: No.
Natalie Morales: Do you feel at this point like you’ve got like a pretty solid case?
Det. Devin Rigo: We had a lot of circumstantial pieces, like putting the puzzle together, but we are just at the tip of the iceberg of what we still need to find out.
More puzzle pieces would be found in Milner’s house.
CONNECTING THE PUZZLE PIECES
Det. Stephanie Winter: It was shocking that somebody this successful … a doctor … now suspect in a murder.
With Dr. Steven Milner now in police custody, Hillsboro Detectives Stephanie Winter and Devin Rigo set out to find evidencethat couldprove Milner was at the scene when Kenny Fandrich was murdered.
Det. Devin Rigo: So, as soon as he is arrested … We’re getting search warrants for his DNA to be taken … we’re getting search warrants for his house as well.
And detectives weren’t quite prepared for what they found at his home.
Det. Stephanie Winter: We found a cardboard cutout behind a mirror of Steven Milner’s face placed on a very oiled, masculine man with a dog paw tattoo over his heart.
Natalie Morales: Very odd memorabilia — to have in your bedroom.
Det. Devin Rigo: Yes.
Det. Stephanie Winter: I would say so.
And there was more.
Det. Devin Rigo: In the nightstand, in Steven’s master bedroom, is a bunch of items that we kind of refer to as a shrine to Tanya. There was a framed picture of Tanya. There were love notes … there were women’s underwear … just like very like personal keepsakes from, what — their relationship together.
Natalie Morales: That’s more than just collecting a few love notes and cards. …
Det. Devin Rigo: Especially from … someone who hadn’t been in a relationship with you for several years at this time period.
Police reviewed surveillance camera images and determined that Kenny Fandrich had been dragged into the maroon minivan, pictured, by a masked man. Police believed the masked man killed Fandrich inside the minivan, before staging his body in the driver’s seat of his own vehicle.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
To build their case, investigators needed to connect the maroon-colored minivan — seen in the Intel parking garage parked next to Kenny’s car — to Milner. But as far as investigators could determine, Milner usually drove the white Toyota SUV he’d been in when he was arrested.
Det. Devin Rigo: initially, we didn’t know what evidence this car could provide us.
So, they ordered an FBI forensic analysis of the SUV’s computer, hoping it might provide some clues about Milner’s movements before and after Kenny’s murder.
Det. Devin Rigo (showing Milner’s SUV to Morales): So essentially … the computer that’s in the car retains a lot of information.
Natalie Morales: Mm-hmm.
Det. Devin Rigo: And luckily one of those things is like GPS data points …
Natalie Morales: Where was that bit of information? … is that a computer that’s pulled out on top there?
Det. Stephanie Winter: Yeah. So that’s part of the front dash … And then, it was just … a little … motherboard type thing that had a chip in it.
Within weeks, they got a call from their digital expert.
Det. Devin Rigo: She … said, you guys need to look at the Home Depot in Oregon City … He’s there a lot the day of the murder.
A Home Depot just 15 minutes down the road from Milner’s house.
Natalie Morales (in the Home Depot parking lot with detectives): How central did this place become towards a piecing together the evidence that you had?
Det. Devin Rigo: Like this was essentially like center stage of the investigation.
The detectives asked Home Depot security personnel if there had been suspicious activity in the lot recently. Amazingly, they said yes: two cars — a maroon minivan and a blue sedan — had been flagged for parking there for long periods of time with only temporary, paper license plates.
Det. Devin Rigo: And we learned that there had been a lot of calls created in the past couple months with a suspicious … blue car and … maroon minivan.
For the second time in a matter of weeks, parking lot security cameras and the images they recorded, would provide investigators with key clues. In a clip from Jan. 27, 2023 – the day of Kenny’s murder – detectives say you can see Milner’s white SUV pull up and park. Within minutes, the driver – believed to be Steven Milner – gets into the maroon minivan. Another camera then captured the minivan exiting the parking lot.
Natalie Morales: So, what was he doing with the cars?
Det. Devin Rigo: So essentially this was like his staging location. So, he would drive his personal car here and then either pick up the blue sedan or the maroon minivan and then drive that out to Hillsboro. …
Natalie Morales: What do you call them?
Det. Devin Rigo: Burner cars.
Natalie Morales: Burner cars.
Det. Devin Rigo: Yeah. … everybody kind of is more familiar with like a burner phone … where you have a phone that’s not … traced to you but, you know, you can use it for what you need, get rid of it. … Essentially, he did the same thing, but with a car.
Investigators believed Milner may have been using those burner cars to secretly follow Kenny to work — even after law enforcement had told him to stop.
They also learned Home Depot security cameras had images of the driver of those cars shopping in the store about a month before Kenny was murdered.
Det. Stephanie Winter: he parked right in front of Home Depot …
Det. Devin Rigo: He went in and … we saw him come to the self-checkout area … and he had bought a pair of like safety glasses. …
Natalie Morales: Was … his face visible in that surveillance?
Det. Stephanie Winter: It was.
Det. Devin Rigo: Oh yeah …
Dr. Steven Milner is seen on security video after buying a pair of safety glasses at a Home Depot on Dec. 13, 2022 – about a month before Kenny Fandrich’s murder.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
There was no doubt — it was Steven Milner. And those glasses he bought? Detectives say you can see them in his right hand as he exited the store. The receipt said they had a “red mirror” tint. Winter had an idea.
Det. Stephanie Winter: We just happened to be sitting near one of the aisles and I was like, I’m going to go see where they sell … the glasses … And then a couple boxes down was … a yellow hard hat that looked very similar to the one … that he was wearing in all of the Intel garage surveillance.
The detectives were convinced this was where Milner had gotten his disguise to kill Kenny.
Natalie Morales: You have all of this, but you were missing one big piece of evidence. What was it?
Det. Devin Rigo: We were, at this point, still missing … the maroon minivan. …
Natalie Morales: Why is the minivan so important?
Det. Devin Rigo: Because it’s the minivan that we believe was really our main crime scene. … we thought there was going to be forensic evidence … in that minivan. So, we really wanted to get that minivan to help really put the icing on … this case.
Rigo was laser focused on tracking down that maroon minivan and he got an incredibly lucky break. When those suspicious burner cars had been flagged, the VIN number was also recorded. Rigo searched it and found out that van had been found abandoned just a few days after the murder.
Det. Devin Rigo: The highway people, had … towed it off the side of the I-5 in north Portland.
Natalie Morales: It had been dumped then.
Det. Devin Rigo: It had been dumped there. … So, I called the tow company, “Hey, do you have this car?” “No, sorry … We sold it to a scrap metal company.”
Rigo knew the clock was ticking to retrieve what he believed was the crime scene and all of the key evidence it held.
Det. Devin Rigo: So, me and another detective drive as quick as we can to north Portland.
The maroon minivan, pictured left, moments before it was crushed by the metal jaws of the scrapyard claw.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
But they were too late. When he asked about the minivan, the scrapyard showed Rigo a video of the maroon minivan police believe Milner drove to the Intel garage to kill Kenny just moments before it was pulverized by the metal jaws of the scrapyard claw.
Det. Devin Rigo: I was able to watch one of my key pieces of evidence be crushed and taken away.
Natalie Morales: Before your very eyes.
Det. Devin Rigo: Before my very eyes —
Natalie Morales: Oh my gosh.
Det. Devin Rigo: — exactly a week too late.
DOCTOR MILNER ON TRIAL
On Jan. 13, 2025, Steven Milner went on trial — charged with stalking and murdering Kenny Fandrich. Washington County prosecutors John Gerhard and Mahalee Streblow knew they faced a challenge without that maroon minivan, where they believe Steven Milner murdered Kenny.
John Gerhard: All the evidence that was inside the van was lost with it. … the biggest disappointment for us is there was likely a lot of forensic evidence …
But prosecutors had some forensic evidence they say put Steven Milner at the scene: DNA from swabs taken of Kenny Fandrich’s hands.
Det. Devin Rigo: I remember getting an email of the results and immediately opening it and being like, “Oh my gosh, this is it.” … Steven Milner’s DNA was on Kenneth Fandrich’s hands. …
Natalie Morales: Now you really felt like you had your case made.
Det. Devin Rigo: Yes, because there is no way he could explain away why his DNA would’ve been on Kenneth’s body.
Steven Milner would have an explanation for that. To everyone’s surprise, Milner took the stand, admitting he did spray paint the cameras and was in the Intel garage waiting for Kenny. He presented what detectives believed was a far-fetched explanation: he was trying to save Tanya. There were no cameras in court, but there is audio of Milner telling Prosecutor John Gerhard why he was in the Intel lot that day.
STEVEN MILNER (in court): I was trying to get him arrested for driving while he was drunk, or driving without a license.
JOHN GERHARD: Why was it your responsibility to enforce Oregon traffic laws?
STEVEN MILNER: I was trying to keep Tanya from getting killed.
John Gerhard: He had this delusional belief that he needed to protect Tanya Fandrich.
Mahalee Streblow: The defense case, it seemed to be … to kind of get the jury to maybe feel sympathetic to Milner.
And Milner insisted it was Kenny who attacked him after Kenny spotted Milner inside the maroon minivan.
Det. Devin Rigo: Steven essentially said, well, I knew I was caught. So, I opened the door to kinda confront him. And then Kenneth attacked me.
STEVEN MILNER (in court): We basically fought for a little bit. … there was pushing and shoving … eventually I was able to kind of push him up against the car and — and then shove him into the car.
Gerhard challenged Milner’s self-defense story.
JOHN GERHARD (in court): Is that push that causes him to fall into his seat?
STEVEN MILNER: He hit up against the car and then kind of tripped at the same time. And I kept pushing.
Mahalee Streblow: His testimony … just didn’t line up with the physical evidence at the scene …
Det. Devin Rigo: To my knowledge — bumping your head on the car door is not going to break your neck.
After six hours of deliberations, the jury found Steven Milner guilty of murdering Kenny Fandrich, and multiple stalking charges.
Steven Milner at his sentencing on Feb. 18, 2025.
Washington County District Attorney’s Office
Cameras were allowed for Steven Milner’s sentencing hearing, which took place on Feb. 18, 2025. Tanya, who asked not to be shown on camera, gave a powerful statement directed at Steven Milner. Prosecutor Mahalee Streblow read us her words:
Mahalee Streblow (reading aloud): “All you had to do was stop … hear me clearly, when I say you are a vengeful, deceptive, manipulating, self-serving, aggressive, hateful, lying predator… and all you had to do was stop.”
Milner was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Milner did not respond to “48 Hours”‘ request for an interview.
Mahalee Streblow: This case highlights the very worst-case scenario … take stalking seriously.
Kenny’s attorney, Michael Fuller, says what happened highlights the limits of the system that is supposed to protect victims of stalking.
Michael Fuller: Kenny … called the police. When that didn’t work, he got a lawyer … Kenny did everything he could under the legal system, and it didn’t help him at all.
After Kenny’s death, Fuller filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of Kenny’s estate asking for damages of several million dollars. Fuller believes Milner made millions from real estate investments and the sale of his business.
Michael Fuller: In the wrongful death case, my goals are to extract as much money as we can out of Milner … If the estate recovered any money for Kenny, it would go to his wife.
For Milner’s former veterinary clients, it was hard to reconcile the doctor they knew, with a now-convicted murderer.
Cheryl Choquette: I could not believe that it was the same guy. …
Darlyn Robinson: I just believe that he ended up going through some type of psychosis … And I think that … at some point he snapped …
Det. Devin Rigo: I think it really gets down to, like, you never know what anybody is capable of. … you never know what monster might be inside …
Natalie Morales: Almost a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation?
Det. Devin Rigo: Yeah, absolutely.
Det. Stephanie Winter: Yeah.
Darlyn Robinson: He had everything to live for. You know, he … could do anything he wanted to do. … And this is where it ended up. … It’s real sad.
Produced by Chuck Stevenson and Lauren Clark. Greg Kaplan and Michael Baluzy are the editors. Lauren Turner Dunn is the associate producer. Cindy Cesare, Danielle Austen and Michelle Sigona are the development producers. Anthony Batson is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, issued the temporary restraining order, which is set to expire on Oct. 18, according to court records.
The plaintiffs say a deployment would violate the U.S. Constitution as well as a federal law that generally prohibits the military from being used to enforce domestic laws.
Immergut wrote that the case involves the intersection of three fundamental democratic principles: “the relationship between the federal government and the states, between the military and domestic law enforcement, and the balance of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.
“Whether we choose to follow what the Constitution mandates with respect to these three relationships goes to the heart of what it means to live under the rule of law in the United States,” she wrote.
Generally speaking the president is allowed “a great level of deference” to federalize National Guard troops in situations where regular law enforcement forces are not able to execute the laws of the United States, the judge said.
However, she concluded that in the situation in Portland, the president “did not have a ‘colorable basis’ to invoke § 12406(3) to federalize the National Guard because the situation on the ground belied an inability of federal law enforcement officers to execute federal law.”
Plaintiffs were able to show that the demonstrations at the Portland immigration facility were not significantly violent or disruptive in the days or weeks leading up to the president’s order, the judge wrote, and “overall, the protests were small and uneventful.”
The judge added that, “The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts.”
The Defense Department had said it was placing 200 members of Oregon’s National Guard under federal control for 60 days to protect federal property and personnel at locations where protests are occurring or likely to occur after Trump called the city “war-ravaged.”
The state of Oregon filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last Sunday following the president’s announcement that he would send troops to Portland. The lawsuit argued that Mr. Trump lacks the authority to federalize the National Guard.
Following the ruling, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson indicated an appeal was likely, saying in a statement that “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called the ruling “a healthy check on the president.”
“It reaffirms what we already knew: Portland is not the president’s war-torn fantasy. Our city is not ravaged, and there is no rebellion,” Rayfield said in a statement. He added: “Members of the Oregon National Guard are not a tool for him to use in his political theater.”
“Today’s outcome is proof that Portlanders’ commitment to peaceful expression and civic unity truly matters,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in a statement Saturday following the ruling. “We have not met aggression with aggression. We’ve stood firm, calm and grounded in our shared values and that is why this decision went our way. Portland has shown that peace is power.”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has pushed back on Mr. Trump’s plans to send troops to Portland and told reporters at a news conference last week that the city “is a far cry from the war-ravaged community he has posted on social media.”
Earlier in September, Mr. Trump had described living in Portland as “like living in hell.”
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has been the site of nightly protests, and the demonstrations and occasional clashes with law enforcement. A handful of immigration and legal advocates often gather at the building during the day. At night, recent protests have typically drawn a couple dozen people.
The order Saturday comes after a broader effort from the administration in what Mr. Trump has characterized as a crackdown on crime in Democratic-led cities.
Mr. Trump deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in the District of Columbia.
On Saturday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said that the Trump administration intends to federalize 300 Illinois National Guard members after he was offered an ultimatum to deploy the troops himself but refused.
Last month, Mr. Trump signed a presidential memorandum mobilizing federal law enforcement agents to Memphis, Tennessee, at the request of the Tennessee governor.
A protester is sprayed by a Department of Homeland Security officer outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
SALEM, Ore. – Oregon’s leaders are reacting to a federal judge’s ruling that temporarily blocks President Trump from sending the Oregon National Guard to Portland.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek responded by calling the decision a validation of her administration’s efforts to resist what she described as “baseless and dangerous federal overreach.”
“Today’s ruling validates what Oregonians already know: justice has been served, and the truth has prevailed,” Kotek said. “There is no insurrection in Portland. No threat to national security. No fires, no bombs, no fatalities due to civil unrest. The only threat we face is to our democracy — and it is being led by President Donald Trump.”
Attorney General Dan Rayfield, whose office argued the case in court, echoed the governor’s assessment.
“The court agreed with our position. Today’s ruling is a healthy check on the president,” Rayfield said. “Members of the Oregon National Guard are not a tool for him to use in his political theater.”
The legal battle stemmed from Trump’s attempt to send federally controlled National Guard troops to Portland amid ongoing protests. Oregon officials maintained that the deployment was politically motivated and legally unjustified.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson had this to say:
“Today’s outcome is proof that Portlanders’ commitment to peaceful expression and civic unity truly matters,” said Mayor Keith Wilson. “We have not met aggression with aggression. We’ve stood firm, calm and grounded in our shared values and that is why this decision went our way. Portland has shown that peace is power.”
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also applauded the decision, saying it reinforces what many in the state have long asserted.
“Today’s victory clearly supports what Oregonians already know: we don’t need or want Donald Trump to provoke conflict by deploying federal troops in our state,” Wyden said. “I will keep working with local and state officials to ensure Trump does not keep wasting millions of taxpayer dollars to make Portland the center of his perverse fantasy about conducting assaults on U.S. cities.”
Kotek concluded her statement by urging Oregonians to remain vigilant and united.
“Oregon remains united and ready to defend our values and our rights — today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes,” she said.
The temporary restraining order will remain in effect as the broader legal challenge proceeds.
(Reuters) -A federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked U.S. President Donald Trump from deploying 200 Oregon National Guard troops to the city of Portland while a lawsuit challenging the move plays out.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut in Portland is a setback for Trump, a Republican, as he seeks to dispatch the military to cities he describes as lawless over the objections of their Democratic leaders.
Democratic Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s office filed the lawsuit on September 28, a day after Trump said he would send troops to Portland to protect federal immigration facilities from “domestic terrorists.”
The case was initially assigned to U.S. District Judge Michael Simon, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama. He recused himself after the Trump administration raised concerns about comments made by his wife, a congresswoman, criticizing the troop deployment. The case was reassigned to Immergut, who was appointed by Trump during his first term in office.
Oregon asked the court to declare the deployment illegal and block it from going forward, saying Trump was exaggerating the threat of protests against his immigration policies to justify illegally seizing control of state National Guard units.
While Trump described the city as “War ravaged,” Oregon said that Portland protests were “small and sedate,” resulting in only 25 arrests in mid-June and no arrests in the three-and-a-half-months since June 19. Oregon’s lawsuit said that Trump announced the troop deployment after Fox News showed video clips from “substantially larger and more turbulent protests” in Portland in 2020.
The stark divide in how the two sides described the situation on the ground in Portland was evident at a Friday court hearing before Immergut.
U.S. Department of Justice attorney Eric Hamilton said that “vicious and cruel radicals” had laid siege to the Portland headquarters of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The decision to send 200 troops – just 5% of the number recently sent to respond to Los Angeles protests – showed restraint, Hamilton said.
Caroline Turco, representing Portland, said that there had been no violence against ICE officers for months and that recent ICE protests were “sedate” in the week before Trump declared the city to be a war zone, sometimes featuring less than a dozen protesters.
“The president’s perception of what is happening in Portland is not the reality on the ground,” Turco said. “The president’s perception is that it is World War Two out here. The reality is that this is a beautiful city with a sophisticated police force that can handle the situation.”
Immergut asked attorneys how much deference she should give to Trump’s description of Portland in social media posts, and seemed skeptical about treating those posts as an official legal determination.
“Really? A social media post is going to count as a presidential determination that you can send the National Guard to cities?” Immergut asked. “I mean, is that really what I should be relying on as his determination?”
Oregon’s lawsuit argued that Trump’s deployment violates several federal laws and the state’s sovereign right to police its own citizens. Trump’s decision to send troops only to “disfavored” Democratic cities like Portland also violates the state’s rights under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is the latest legal challenge to Trump’s deployments of military forces to Democrat-led cities, including Los Angeles and Washington, which he says were overrun with crime and hostile to immigration enforcement.
State and local Democratic leaders have disputed those claims and accused Trump of violating longstanding U.S. laws and norms against using the military for domestic law enforcement.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from using the military to fight crime in California on September 2, but that ruling is on hold while the administration appeals.
Washington D.C.’s Democratic attorney general filed a lawsuit on September 4 to end Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital. A judge has yet to rule on the request.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien and Dietrich Knauth in New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Lincoln Feast and Rosalba O’Brien)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from deploying the National Guard in Portland, ruling Saturday in a lawsuit brought by the state and city.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued the order pending further arguments in the suit. She said the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces and allowing the deployment could harm Oregon’s state sovereignty.
“This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs,” Immergut wrote. She later continued, “This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law.”
State and city officials sued to stop the deployment last week, one day after the Trump administration announced that 200 Oregon National Guard troops would be federalized to protect federal buildings. The president called the city “war-ravaged.”
Oregon officials said that characterization was ludicrous. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in the city has been the site of nightly protests that typically drew a couple dozen people in recent weeks before the deployment was announced.
Judge: The federal response didn’t match the facts
Generally speaking the president is allowed “a great level of deference” to federalize National Guard troops in situations where regular law enforcement forces are not able to execute the laws of the United States, the judge said, but that has not been the case in Portland.
Plaintiffs were able to show that the demonstrations at the immigration building were not significantly violent or disruptive ahead of the president’s order, the judge wrote, and “overall, the protests were small and uneventful.”
“The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts,” Immergut wrote.
White House suggests an appeal is coming
Following the ruling, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called the ruling “a healthy check on the president.”
“It reaffirms what we already knew: Portland is not the president’s war-torn fantasy. Our city is not ravaged, and there is no rebellion,” Rayfield said in a statement. He added: “Members of the Oregon National Guard are not a tool for him to use in his political theater.”
Trump has deployed or threatened to deploy troops in several U.S. cities, particularly ones led by Democrats, including Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago and Memphis. Speaking Tuesday to U.S. military leaders in Virginia, he proposed using cities as training grounds for the armed forces.
Last month a federal judge ruled that the president’s deployment of some 4,700 National Guard soldiers and Marines in Los Angeles this year was illegal, but he allowed the 300 who remain in the city to stay as long as they do not enforce civilian laws. The Trump administration appealed, and an appellate panel has put the lower court’s block on hold while it moves forward.
Portland protests were small, but grew after deployment was announced
The Portland protests have been limited to a one-block area in a city that covers about 145 square miles (375 square km) and has about 636,000 residents.
They grew somewhat following the Sept. 28 announcement of the guard deployment. The Portland Police Bureau, which has said it does not participate in immigration enforcement and only intervenes in the protests if there is vandalism or criminal activity, arrested two people on assault charges. A peaceful march earlier that day drew thousands to downtown and saw no arrests, police said.
On Saturday, before the ruling was released, roughly 400 people marched to the ICE facility. The crowd included people of all ages and races, families with children and older people using walkers. Federal agents responded with chemical crowd control munitions, including tear gas canisters and less-lethal guns that sprayed pepper balls. At least six people were arrested as the protesters reached the ICE facility.
Trump sent federal officers to Portland over the objections of local and state leaders in 2020 during long-running racial justice protests following George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police. The administration sent hundreds of agents for the stated purpose of protecting the federal courthouse and other federal property from vandalism.
That deployment antagonized demonstrators and prompted nightly clashes. Federal officers fired rubber bulled and used tear gas.
Viral videos captured federal officers arresting people and hustling them into unmarked vehicles. A report by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general found that while the federal government had legal authority to deploy the officers, many of them lacked the training and equipment necessary for the mission.
The government agreed this year to settle an excessive force lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union by paying compensating several plaintiffs for their injuries.
Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press writer Josh Boak in Washington contributed.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland.
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, an appointee of President Donald Trump, issued a temporary restraining order after Oregon and Portland sued. The order expires on Oct. 18 but could be extended.
The ruling is a setback to the Trump administration’s use of military troops in some Democrat-run cities.
A federal judge in California last month ruled that the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles was illegal.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco ruled that the administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act — the 1878 law that prohibits the president from using the military as a domestic police force.
In the Portland case, the city and state of Oregon sued on Sept. 28 to prevent the use of military troops in Portland, and they asked a federal court to stop the deployment of troops to the city.
Hours after a Friday hearing before Immergut about the case, and before she had issued any ruling, U.S. Northern Command announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had activated the 200 troops.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that Trump directed Hegseth to call the Oregon National Guard into federal service for 60 days to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other government personnel in the city.
Portland is not the only U.S. city that Trump has targeted for the deployment of military troops.
That order also was to send other federal law enforcement agencies to Memphis in what Trump characterized as a crackdown on crime.
Trump at that Sept. 15 signing said that Chicago was “probably next.”
Governors have the authority to deploy their states’ National Guard. The Trump administration would be federalizing the National Guard to send troops to cities if the governor declines to do so.
Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, said Saturday that he was given an ultimatum by Defense Department officials to “call up your troops, or we will.” Pritzker said he would refuse.
“I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.”
The National Guard plays a unique role in the U.S. — part state, part federal. But when can the president step in and take control? Here’s what you need to know.
A federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to Portland.
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut, an appointee of President Donald Trump, issued a temporary restraining order after Oregon and Portland sued. The order expires on Oct. 18 but could be extended.
The ruling is a setback to the Trump administration’s use of military troops in some Democrat-run cities.
A federal judge in California last month ruled that the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles was illegal.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco ruled that the administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act — the 1878 law that prohibits the president from using the military as a domestic police force.
In the Portland case, the city and state of Oregon sued on Sept. 28 to prevent the use of military troops in Portland, and they asked a federal court to stop the deployment of troops to the city.
Hours after a Friday hearing before Immergut about the case, and before she had issued any ruling, U.S. Northern Command announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had activated the 200 troops.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that Trump directed Hegseth to call the Oregon National Guard into federal service for 60 days to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other government personnel in the city.
Portland is not the only U.S. city that Trump has targeted for the deployment of military troops.
That order also was to send other federal law enforcement agencies to Memphis in what Trump characterized as a crackdown on crime.
Trump at that Sept. 15 signing said that Chicago was “probably next.”
Governors have the authority to deploy their states’ National Guard. The Trump administration would be federalizing the National Guard to send troops to cities if the governor declines to do so.
Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, said Saturday that he was given an ultimatum by Defense Department officials to “call up your troops, or we will.” Pritzker said he would refuse.
“I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.”
The National Guard plays a unique role in the U.S. — part state, part federal. But when can the president step in and take control? Here’s what you need to know.
The federal government shut down. Hamas agreed to parts of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the war in Gaza, but it seeks further talks on other elements of the plan. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech in Virginia to top military leaders. The Supreme Court made a ruling in Fed board member Lisa Cook’s case. And protests are intensifying in Oregon and Illinois in response to the arrival of federal agents.Here are the top stories involving the U.S. government this past week.Government shutdownThe federal government began a shutdown on Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a funding bill for the fiscal year 2026.On Friday, the Senate voted again on two proposals — a Democratic-backed one and a Republican-backed one, the latter of which passed in the House. Neither bill received the 60 votes needed, guaranteeing the shutdown will continue through the weekend.Health care is at the center of the shutdown. Here’s a look at the arguments being made by both sides and what the data shows us.The White House said that firings of federal employees are “imminent,” with President Donald Trump emphasizing that the shutdown is an “unprecedented opportunity” to cut jobs and programs.Here’s a look at how the shutdown could impact getting a passport, attending national parks, paying off student loans, receiving benefits, buying groceries and using air travel.Here’s how the shutdown could affect the nation’s economy.Get the Facts on whether undocumented immigrants are eligible for federal healthcare.Who could break the deadlock in Congress? Find out here.Video below: Fact-checking if undocumented immigrants are eligible for federal healthcare?Israel-Hamas peace planHamas announced Friday that it has accepted some elements of Trump’s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, including giving up power and releasing all remaining hostages, but that other elements require further negotiations.In turn, Trump told Israel to stop bombing Gaza while all sides continue talks to reach a peace deal.Israel said it is preparing to implement the “first stage” of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.Trump announced the peace plan earlier in the week during a meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Here’s everything you need to know about the peace proposal.Video below: President Trump unveils Gaza ceasefire proposal at White HouseIn other newsTrump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech in Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday in front of hundreds of the country’s top military leaders.Trump and Hegseth railed against political correctness and pushed for tougher combat rules and fewer safeguards.The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that Lisa Cook can remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.Protests are intensifying in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago in response to Trump sending federal agents to both cities.A judge is weighing whether to temporarily block Trump’s National Guard deployment in Oregon.Hegseth said on Friday that he ordered a fourth strike on a small boat in the waters off Venezuela.Apple removed ICE tracking apps after the Trump administration said they threaten officers.A federal judge ruled that deporting noncitizens for protesting the Gaza war violates the First Amendment.An immigration judge denied Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s bid for asylum, but he has 30 days to appeal.The White House is asking nine major universities to commit to Trump’s political priorities in exchange for more favorable access to federal money.A week after her decisive win in an Arizona special election for the U.S. House, Democrat Adelita Grijalva has yet to be sworn into office, as fellow Democrats in Congress express discontent.Video below: Get the Facts on the makeup of the US military
The federal government shut down. Hamas agreed to parts of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the war in Gaza, but it seeks further talks on other elements of the plan. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech in Virginia to top military leaders. The Supreme Court made a ruling in Fed board member Lisa Cook’s case. And protests are intensifying in Oregon and Illinois in response to the arrival of federal agents.
Here are the top stories involving the U.S. government this past week.
Government shutdown
Video below: Fact-checking if undocumented immigrants are eligible for federal healthcare?
Israel-Hamas peace plan
Video below: President Trump unveils Gaza ceasefire proposal at White House
In other news
Video below: Get the Facts on the makeup of the US military
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has directed his team to review federal aid to Portland, Oregon, that can be cut as his anger with the city’s anti-government and anti-fascism protesters mounts, the White House said on Friday.
“We will not fund states that allow anarchy,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters. She gave no details about what funds Trump, a Republican, might try to block.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly use threats of withholding federal funding, which is mandated by Congress, to punish those he views as his political opponents, including Democrats in state and local government and elite universities, which he views as overrun by Marxists.
The streets of downtown Portland, the largest city in Oregon, have been filled sporadically in the last few years with left-wing protesters, most recently focused on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carrying out Trump’s plan to arrest and deport more migrants.
Leavitt also said she was dismayed that a conservative independent journalist was among three people arrested by Portland police at a demonstration outside ICE’s offices.
“This incident is part of a troubling trend for Portland, where left-wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city,” Leavitt told reporters. “It is not their city, it is the American people’s city.”
Police said the journalist Nicholas Sortor was arrested along with two others for fighting at the protest and charged with disorderly conduct. Video showed Sortor arguing with protesters and he said on Friday he had acted in self-defense.
Leavitt said she had spoken with Sortor and that the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division was examining whether Sortor was a victim of “viewpoint discrimination” by Portland police.
Last week, Trump said he considered the city’s anti-fascism protesters, sometimes referred to as “antifa,” to be “domestic terrorists” and that he was sending soldiers there to protect ICE agents and facilities. This week, he said he was taking control of the Oregon National Guard, the state’s militia.
Spokespeople for Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, both Democrats, did not respond to requests for comment.
In response to the arrest of Sortor, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement it enforced the law impartially.
“As with all such situations, arrests are based on observed behavior and probable cause — not political affiliation or public profile,” the police statement said.
Wilson and other leaders in Oregon have denounced efforts to militarize policing in Portland and say Trump is violating the U.S. Constitution.
As with other states, most federal aid to Oregon helps fund healthcare, education and transportation infrastructure.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen; Writing by Katharine Jackson and Jonathan Allen; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Cynthia Osterman)
