Abbott: US military not being asked to come into Texas to handle protest violence

DALLAS – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he is not going to ask the U.S. military to come into Texas to respond to violence at protests.

Abbott called the death of Houston native George Floyd while being detained by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an act of “police brutality."

Abbott said people have the right to protest the injustice, but the violence and vandalism that’s happening at some of the protests are overshadowing Floyd’s death.

Both Abbott and an official from the Texas Department of Public Safety said that people from outside the state have been coming to some of the protests to stir up trouble. The DPS official said there is even evidence of Antifa being involved in organizing the looting of an Austin-area store.

Abbott said that he has coordinated with four U.S. attorneys to ensure that any out-of-state agitators will face federal charges when they are arrested. He said he’s sure that Texas has enough law enforcement and National Guard resources to handle any rioting or looting that may happen.

Officials said agents of DPS with body cameras are being embedded in the protests to help identify agitators and arrest them if appropriate. He said state authorities are also working with federal authorities, including the FBI, to identify people who may be coming from outside the state to incite violence at the protests.

Abbott said there has been no request to send Texas National Guard troops to Washington.

You can watch a replay of Abbot’s news conference below.

This story is being updated.