WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) blasted Oversight Democrats for pushing two dozen transportation and hospitality businesses to act as law enforcement by helping to identify and prevent violent attacks in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere.

“We must rely on the law and our law enforcement to prevent future violence, not private industries. The responsibility for the abhorrent destruction and death in our nation’s capital lies at the feet of the rioters, and they all must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for their behavior. Private companies, like hotels, airlines, and buses, however, cannot be held responsible for the actions of their customers outside their doors nor be required to determine their customers’ intent. Government overreach into private industries, which are already hurting amid the pandemic, creates a dangerous precedent and will not solve the problem of violence. America’s elected representatives need to come together to address the root causes of mob violence perpetrated by both left- and right-wing extremists instead of asking American companies to do the work of law enforcement.”