Rep. Roger Williams says U.S. 'not' safer, urges de-escalation and defers to FBI on probe

Congressman Roger Williams, R-Texas, told a radio host that he does not believe the country is safer in the wake of recent unrest, criticized local leaders in Minneapolis and Portland for failing to back law enforcement and urged both political sides to de-escalate.

"Well, we're not," Williams said when asked whether the country is safer. He cited recent incidents in Portland and Minnesota and argued that leadership that "does not support law enforcement" "invites criminal activity," adding that it amounts to "lawlessness." The host noted that "some 2,000 of them" — federal agents — were sent to Minneapolis to address deportations, immigration and fraud; that figure was stated by the host and not independently verified in the interview.

Williams said local leaders should "back down" and adopt calmer rhetoric so officials and residents can reach a solution. "We need to see some, improvement in the fact that people need to quit demonstrating, quit yelling at law enforcement," he said, adding that both sides should "sit down and talk" to find a path forward.

Asked how he planned to act as a member of Congress, Williams said his pledge was to encourage dialogue: "Let's let the — you know, both sides calm down and come up with a solution. You can go write it down on paper, see what you can do." He described the situation primarily as a problem of rhetoric and local policy choices rather than a matter for Congress to unilaterally resolve.

The host also raised a report that the FBI would serve as the sole investigator into a recent case and said local officials would not have access to evidence or interviews. Williams responded, "Well, I think the FBI is in control of this investigation. I think that's what's what's legal," saying the FBI's decision about investigative access was ultimately "the call of the FBI, not the call of me and congress." He added that, in his view, transparency to all parties would help reach a solution.

The interview closed without any new federal action announced by Williams; he emphasized de-escalation and dialogue as his recommended approach.