Democratic Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser continued to push the debunked claim that former President Donald Trump ordered police to clear Lafayette Park of protesters for a photo op.
Bowser appeared Tuesday on CNN’s “New Day” and repeated the claim despite the recent Inspector General’s report which determined that the park had been cleared in order to allow contractors access to install anti-scale fencing — and that the move had been authorized hours before Trump decided to walk across the park for a photo op at St. John’s Church. (RELATED: Joe And Mika Were Absolutely Dismayed This Morning To Find Out One Of Their Favorite Trump Conspiracy Theories Is False)
WATCH:
“New Day” host Brianna Keilar mentioned the fact that, following the IG report, a judge had dismissed a number of claims accusing Trump of “authorizing an unprovoked attack” on the protesters who were gathered in Lafayette Square. She then turned to Bowser for her reaction.
A U.S. judge has dismissed most claims filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of D.C., Black Lives Matter and others who in lawsuits accused the Trump administration of authorizing an unprovoked attack on demonstrators in Lafayette Square last year. https://t.co/jGhxvCt853
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) June 21, 2021
“I actually haven’t read that decision or heard something about it. I think you know how I feel about federal law enforcement and the United States military being used for a photo op at Lafayette Square,” Bowser said. “I thought that was a disgraceful act of presidential power that should never happen in the United States of America.”
Keilar made no move to correct Bowser’s assertion based on the IG’s report, instead moving on to the next segment.
In addition, according to a recent statement from the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), it was not only federal law enforcement that had employed crowd control measures. The MPD also deployed tear gas canisters that day in response to an incendiary device allegedly thrown by protesters that injured a police officer. The MPD denied any involvement in Trump’s movement that day.