The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing a confrontation at a professional women's soccer match in Portland, Oregon after video captured women’s sports supporters forcibly escorted out by stadium security after being struck with a flagpole by other spectators projecting pro-transgender messaging.

"The Justice Department is aware of these reports and will review the matter thoroughly. Where the facts and the law warrant action, the Department will not hesitate to act," a department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

A DOJ official separately said, "Based on what is known so far, the conduct described appears to raise viewpoint discrimination and First Amendment questions rather than sex discrimination. The Department is reviewing it."

ACTIVISTS EJECTED FROM SOCCER MATCH AFTER 'SAVE WOMEN'S SPORTS' BANNER IGNITES PHYSICAL CLASH WITH PRO-TRANS FANS

The Portland Police Bureau has also addressed the incident, saying two potential crimes have been reported.

"Off duty PPB officers are routinely hired to work at professional games and other events at various venues in Portland, and there were several at the Thorns game last night. PPB officers were not involved in any removals. They were called in when some individuals were refusing to leave and laying down, blocking an exit. When asked by police officers, the individuals agreed to leave. Outside, in an effort to promote public safety, officers did separate two groups with opposing viewpoints for a short time," Sergeant Kevin Allen told Fox News Digital.

"Two potential crimes were reported, case numbers 26-309064 (alleged harassment) 26-309306 (alleged vandalism). No one reported any injuries to police, and no injuries were visible. No immediate arrests were made or citations issued. The incidents are under investigation. Officers were wearing and activated BWCs according to PPB policy."

The confrontation unfolded Friday during Portland’s match against the North Carolina Courage at Providence Park. Approximately 20 spectators kept their XX-XY Athletics shirts covered through the first half, then revealed them and unfurled a large "Save Women’s Sports" banner as the second half began.

The organizers included activist Amy Sousa and commentator Brandi Kruse, who previously helped organize rallies supporting WNBA player Sophie Cunningham.

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Footage documented members of the group being struck with flagpoles carrying transgender flags, confronted with profanity and physically removed by security.

Sousa told OutKick that she and other attendees filed police reports afterward.

"We were attacked by fans. We were hit with flags," she said.

Security restrained Kruse’s arm behind her back while escorting her through the stands. She questioned why her group was being removed after being attacked.

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OutKick reporter Matt Calkins also had his phone knocked from his hand and beer poured on his neck while documenting the confrontation. A security guard pulled his credential from around his neck during an interview with Sousa, returning it seconds later.

Security director Jim McCausland said he did not have time to speak.

The Thorns' home stadium of Providence Park is owned by the City of Portland and operated by Peregrine Sports, LLC, according to the city. The Thorns are owned separately by RAJ Sports. Portland’s Spectator Venues Program oversees the city’s interests in the stadium and its relationship with the operator.

Viewpoint discrimination generally involves the government restricting expression because of the particular opinion expressed. The Supreme Court ordinarily prohibits such restrictions, according to Congress's Constitution Annotated.

Federal law also allows criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 242 when someone acting under color of law willfully deprives another person of a federally protected right.

The DOJ could examine whether city officials helped set or enforce the decisions to remove the fans because of their views. If officials, or private staff acting with them, willfully violated spectators’ constitutional rights, federal criminal charges could follow. The stadium’s public ownership alone does not establish a violation; the government’s involvement in the removals would be a key question.

The DOJ has not identified that statute as the basis for its review or announced charges in this matter.

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OutKick has reached out to the Thorns and stadium operator Peregrine Sports, as well as Portland city officials, for comment on DOJ’s review and the potential viewpoint discrimination and First Amendment concerns identified by a department official, but has not received a response.

OutKick's Matt Calkins contributed to this report.

A federal appeals court ordered California to respond by noon Saturday to the Trump administration's emergency request involving roughly 20,000 mail-in ballots sent to people the Justice Department suspects are noncitizens ahead of the midterm elections.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued the order late Friday after the DOJ filed an emergency request earlier in the day seeking a ruling by Saturday.

The Justice Department sought emergency relief from the appeals court after U.S. District Judge David Carter did not rule by a deadline previously requested by the department.

The DOJ is asking California election officials to set aside ballots associated with individuals on its list while their eligibility is reviewed, rather than allowing the ballots to be processed alongside other votes.

DOJ GIVES CALIFORNIA 48 HOURS TO REVIEW LIST OF POSSIBLE NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS

In its emergency filing, the DOJ emphasized the urgency of its request.

"This is an emergency," the filing, submitted by Attorney General Todd Blanche and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, stated.

"Every minute of processing that occurs without segregating the ballots of suspected non-eligible voters causes untraceable disenfranchisement and dilution of the votes of United States citizens," the filing continued.

Despite the Ninth Circuit's order, a hearing before Judge Carter remains scheduled for Tuesday, according to Fox News' Matt Finn. It remains unclear whether the appeals court will rule before that hearing.

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Essayli previously told Fox News Digital that federal investigators have evidence showing the 20,000 individuals received mail-in ballots in October.

His office sued California last week seeking a court order to prevent ballots returned by those individuals from being counted.

"We're not asking California to take any drastic steps other than to sequester the ballots from the suspected noncitizens," Essayli said in an interview Wednesday. "We believe it's at a minimum of 20,000. That's the floor."

Essayli also clashed with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on social media this week over the state's safeguards against noncitizen voting.

Essayli accused California of allowing noncitizens onto its voter rolls because of what he described as inadequate citizenship verification procedures, while Newsom defended the integrity of the state's elections and maintained that California was following the law.

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California election officials have rejected the Justice Department's demands.

In court filings, they argued that county election offices lack both the authority and access to federal records needed to verify voters' citizenship status.

They also said separating ballots associated with people on the DOJ's list would be impossible in cases where the ballots have already been processed.

California officials say that once a mail-in ballot's signature has been verified, the ballot is separated from its identifying envelope and processed with other ballots.

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According to court records, officials have already processed 331,000 ballots in Los Angeles County alone.

Friday's escalation comes after Essayli's office initially filed the suit Oct. 15, roughly two weeks after California began mailing ballots.

Fox News Digital's James Cirrone contributed to this report.

Virginia Democrats who previously defended investigations and allegations against Donald Trump are urging restraint now that federal prosecutors have charged one of their own.

The shift is evident across the party's top ranks following the indictment of Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas. Lieutenant Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, who rejected Republican claims that Trump was being selectively prosecuted after his 2023 classified-documents indictment, is now stressing Lucas' "constitutional presumption of innocence" and arguing Lucas "is fully entitled to legal due process." Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, who said last year that Trump tried to "incite a riot" and "overturn an election," says the allegations against Lucas must be tested through a legal process "free from political interference or bias."

Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., likewise joined Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine in declaring that "those charged with crime are innocent until proven guilty" and questioning the Justice Department's motivations — years after Scott said during Trump's first impeachment that "the facts are uncontested," called his conduct a "gross abuse of presidential power" and declared that "no one is above the law." Trump was later acquitted by the Senate.

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Gov. Abigail Spanberger, meanwhile, is stressing Lucas' presumption of innocence after calling congressional defenses of Trump's handling of classified documents "deeply detrimental to our national security" days after his 2023 indictment in a case that was ultimately dismissed without a trial.

Lucas, who also chairs the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, was indicted alongside six others in what federal prosecutors allege was a years-long criminal enterprise involving marijuana distribution, money laundering, bribery and fraud. She has denied wrongdoing, and an indictment does not establish guilt. The investigation that ultimately produced the charges began during the Biden administration, according to multiple reports.

The contrasting rhetoric extends beyond individual officeholders. The Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) declared Trump had been "rightfully indicted" and that "no one is above the law" immediately after a Manhattan grand jury indicted him in March 2023 — more than a year before a jury heard the case. The party had also criticized Republican claims that federal law enforcement was being politically "weaponized" against Trump during the classified-documents investigation. Lucas currently serves as a DPVA vice chair.

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Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., was the only Democrat contacted by Fox News Digital who responded to questions about the contrast between his past rhetoric about Trump and his current rhetoric about Lucas, rejecting the suggestion that his positions were inconsistent while accusing federal law enforcement of politically timing Lucas' arrest.

"It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or Republican, the American people deserve answers and accountability from everyone," Subramanyam told Fox News Digital.

Subramanyam called the charges against Lucas "serious," adding that "she should face justice if they are true," while alleging that "the DOJ and FBI timed this arrest for two weeks before the election for political reasons."

"Trump has a pattern of targeting political opponents and weaponizing the DOJ, and he has spent his second presidency covering up the Epstein files," Subramanyam said. "It took Congress forcing the administration's hand to even get a fraction of the full files released."

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The federal investigation that produced Lucas' indictment, however, predates Trump's second administration. The Washington Post, CBS News and The Associated Press reported after federal searches in May, citing anonymous sources familiar with the investigation, that the probe began during the Biden administration.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche reiterated that the investigation began years ago and rejected allegations of political retaliation.

"We don't do political paybacks," Blanche said.

Federal prosecutors allege Lucas led a criminal enterprise involving relatives and associates that distributed marijuana and laundered proceeds while she used her political position to protect the operation and influence legislation that could financially benefit it. The indictment alleges Lucas and her co-defendants were involved in distributing at least 100 kilograms of marijuana, while FBI Director Kash Patel said the alleged scheme generated roughly $4.5 million.

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Lucas has denied wrongdoing and accused the federal government of trying to silence her.

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"Today, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82-year-old great-grandmother," Lucas said after surrendering to authorities. "I grew up under Jim Crow. I've seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them."

"I will not be bullied," she added. "And I will not back down."

Federal authorities arrested a 31-year-old Georgia man Thursday for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in downtown Atlanta earlier this week, in what prosecutors described as an "act of terrorism."

Inique Hinton, of Douglasville, was charged with attempted arson of a federal building and depredation of government property, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

"An attack on federal property is an attack against our democracy. It is an act of terrorism. It is an act of political violence, and it cannot stand," U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said during a news conference.

According to prosecutors, security cameras captured Hinton walking near the ICE building at 180 Ted Turner Drive just before 8:15 p.m. Tuesday.

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Minutes later, he allegedly ignited an object and threw it toward the facility, striking the exterior fence and causing flames to spread.

Investigators said they recovered burned cloth, lighter fluid, a glass bottle and a lighter at the scene.

Hinton was arrested Thursday by the FBI at a residence in Cobb County.

"This was obviously an attack directed at the ICE facility," Hertzberg said, adding that prosecutors would respond with "extreme severity" because "we need to send the message that this is not OK."

"We can talk about immigration, we can have civil discourse, but we cannot allow criminal acts, terroristic acts, like the one that was committed three days ago in our city," he continued.

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Hertzberg also said the Atlanta ICE building had previously been targeted approximately six years earlier, during the summer of 2020.

"I want to make very clear we are not going back to that," he said. "We will not tolerate attacks on government property and attacks against federal law enforcement."

Atlanta police witnessed the incident and attempted to pursue the suspect but were unable to apprehend him that night. The FBI later released images of an unidentified suspect and offered a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to his identification and arrest.

Hinton faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted of attempted arson, while the government-property charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.

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Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.