Blunt and Hawley back Operation Legend, but were out of the loop about its launch
Both of Missouri’s Republican senators support the Trump administration’s Operation Legend, but weren’t informed about the plan prior to its launch.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri, expressed concerns earlier this week about the operation, which has brought an influx of federal agents into Kansas City for the stated purpose of solving homicides and deterring violent crime.
The former Kansas City mayor noted that neither he, nor Sens. Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt, were told of the Justice Department operation before it was announced by the White House earlier this month.
“And how do I know? They told me,” said Cleaver, who called the lack of notice to Kansas City’s federal representatives unconscionable.
Blunt, a member of Senate GOP leadership, confirmed Cleaver’s account Thursday and acknowledged his own frustration with the lack of communication. But he also asserted his full support for the operation.
“The Justice Department made this decision without any notice to the congressional delegation. I believe that was a mistake, but without question the level of violent crime in Kansas City is unacceptable,” Blunt said in a statement to The Star, his first public comment on the federal operation which this week expanded from Kansas City to Chicago and Albuquerque.
“I hope this operation will be successful in creating a safer community for everyone, especially innocent children,” he said.
Neither Blunt, nor Hawley commented directly on Attorney General William Barr’s wildly inaccurate claim that the operation had resulted in 200 arrests in Kansas City in two weeks.
That number actually goes back to December of last year and includes both state and federal arrests resulting from previous operations, a DOJ official clarified to The Star Wednesday evening when pressed about Barr’s claim.
Hawley sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which vetted Barr and has oversight of the Department of Justice.
Hawley’s office did not directly answer questions from The Star regarding concerns raised by Cleaver and Kansas City Mayor Lucas. His office instead steered The Star to Hawley’s interview with St. Louis talk radio host Marc Cox Thursday morning.
In the interview, Hawley gave full-throated support to the operation and attacked Democrats for their criticism of the Trump administration’s decision to send federal law enforcement into U.S. cities.
“It’s amazing that for the party, the Democrats that has spent the last what two years lionizing the FBI with all their various problems,” Hawley said, in a reference to the bureau’s investigation of President Trump. “Now all of a sudden federal law enforcement and federal prosecutors now they’re considered to be a little bit better than thugs by the same left and that’s just a lot of propaganda on their part.”
Hawley said as attorney general of Missouri he welcomed help from federal agencies, which he called invaluable.
“I’m glad to see they’re making some progress with this already in Kansas City. I think it’s making difference. And I’d say take it, I mean, let’s return some law and order to the streets,” Hawley said.
Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a Republican whose House district includes a small portion of Kansas City, also expressed support for the operation Thursday.
“People are dying as lawlessness prevails in our big cities, and I am hopeful this infusion of additional law enforcement officers will stop the violence and restore safety for our families in the Kansas City area,” she said.
Blunt said that he is in contact U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith about the developments in the operation.
Blunt pointed to the comments from Charron Powell, the mother of LeGend Taliferro, the namesake of the operation, at Wednesday’s White House event as a call to action and a reason to support the mission. Smith, who has led KCPD since 2017, also attended.
“I support the Department of Justice’s decision to provide support to local law enforcement in the Kansas City area as they work together to address violent crime, resolve open cases, and give victims’ families the justice they deserve,” Blunt said.
Lucas has said he welcomes federal help in solving homicides, but he has expressed concern about the broadening scope of the operation and the president’s racial “dog-whistling” about crime in cities.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 2:06 PM.
