U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley didn’t know why federal agents were arriving in Portland , what they planned to do or how long they were going to stay.

But the sudden influx Sept. 26 concerned him and, at a hastily organized press conference that night, Merkley had no doubts about the motivations of President Donald Trump , who appeared to be following through on his repeated musings about sending troops to Portland.

“The president has sent agents here to create chaos and riots in Portland. To induce a reaction. To induce protests. To induce conflicts,” Merkley told reporters. “His goal is to make Portland look like what he’s been describing it as.”

More than once, Trump had claimed ongoing protests outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility had ruined the city.

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