AP finds most arrested in protests aren’t leftist radicals

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is using aggressive tactics against those it has charged in the civil unrest over racism.

Those people have been portrayed by President Donald Trump as violent left-wing radicals. The Republican president has used the protests to try to scare white, suburban voters into reelecting him.

But an Associated Press review of thousands of pages of court documents from the more than 300 federal arrests made nationwide shows many are people caught up in the moment.

Very few of those charged appear to be affiliated with any highly organized extremist groups. Many are young suburban adults with little criminal history, from the very neighborhoods Trump vows to protect.