PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty is “demanding” an outside investigation into how a police report – with information that turned out to be false – was leaked to members of the media.
“I am demanding an outside investigation into the role of white supremacy and connections to far right media and organizations within the Portland Police Bureau, in addition to getting to the bottom of who was behind this specific leak within the city,” Hardesty tweeted on Thursday.
A group called Coalition to Save Portland was the first to report the news on a Facebook Live, saying a law enforcement official had leaked the police report to them. The police report said a hit-run victim named Hardesty as the driver of the other car.
She was cleared as a suspect by Portland Police later in the day. Portland Police say they have an internal investigation underway.
“There have long been suspicions within the community that there are city employees that have leaked info that ends up in the hands of far right wing media personalities…” she tweeted.
Mayor Wheeler also called for an investigation into the matter.
“What happened to Commissioner Hardesty is wrong and unacceptable,” Wheeler said. “It’s a reflection of broader systemic racism and it must be addressed. We need to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. No one should be subjected to false accusations publicly.”