U.S. watchdog to probe use of force in Portland; federal agents to Seattle on standby

FILE PHOTO: Federal law enforcement officers, deployed under the Trump administration's new executive order to protect federal monuments and buildings, face off with protesters against racial inequality and police violence in Portland, Oregon, U.S., July 21, 2020. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo

PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday it would investigate the use of force by federal agents against protesters in Portland, Oregon, following another night of unrest in which the city's mayor was tear-gassed.

The investigations, which follow an uproar over the deployment of federal border patrol officers to Portland against the wishes of local officials, come as the Trump administration said it was sending a similar contingent to Seattle.