Police Didn’t Clear BLM Protesters From Park Last Year for Trump Bible Photo-Op: Watchdog

Police Didn’t Clear BLM Protesters From Park Last Year for Trump Bible Photo-Op: Watchdog
President Donald Trump holds up a Bible outside of St John's Episcopal church across Lafayette Park in Washington, on June 1, 2020. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Jack Phillips
Updated:

The Department of the Interior’s inspector general said Wednesday that Trump White House officials did not forcibly clear protesters from Layafette Park last year during Black Lives Matter protests and riots in Washington and around the United States so that the former president could get his photo taken in front of a church.

The inspector general’s report (pdf) also said the U.S. Park Police (USPP) did not use tear gas to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters near the White House on June 1, 2020. The Metropolitan Police, which is operated by the D.C. municipal government, used tear gas in a separate, unconnected incident, officials said.
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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