#AG Barr says there are 500 probes into violent George Floyd protests

Attorney General William Barr says there are at least 500 active Joint Terrorism Task Force investigations into protests that erupted in American cities over the killing of George Floyd.

“It’s anarchy, is what it is,” the attorney general said Thursday on “The Verdict,” a podcast hosted by Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, referring to the protesters who toppled the statue of Civil War Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant last Friday, The Washington Times reported.

“And from people who are very ignorant, don’t care about history at all. I imagine they looked at US Grant’s statue, didn’t know who he was, didn’t know what side he was on.”

“He was a great Republican president who did more for advancing the right of African Americans in this country than probably any single president,” AG Barr added.

Protests in many cities have turned violent as demonstrators have pulled down or attempted to topple statues of Confederate figures and other historical figures who owned slaves.

Demonstrators in the capital on Monday tried to pull down a statue of President Andrew Jackson, who owned slaves.

Park Police and the FBI were to identify 15 people who they said are “responsible for vandalizing federal property at Lafayette Square,” a news release said, referring to Jackson’s statue.

Barr told Cruz the Justice Department would bring federal charges against those who tried to pull down Jackson’s statue, which sits on federal property near the White House.

“We will go after people,” he said on “The Verdict.”

“So if you attack a monument on federal property, you’re going to get prosecuted?” asked Cruz.

“That’s right,” Barr responded.

Regarding the nationwide demonstrations, some of which have turned violent, Barr said local officials were in charge of protecting people and property.

The federal government’s role comes later, he said, in bringing charges against those who break federal law.

Earlier this week, President Trump warned protesters that they could face 10 years in prison for targeting the Jackson statue, invoking a 2003 law that established severe penalties for targeting veterans’ memorials.