Attorney General William Barr (screengrab)
Faced with widespread mockery for moving into the White House bunker at the same time as the police and military were gassing peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park, President Donald Trump has tried to put a better spin on his actions, saying, "I was down during the day and I was there for a tiny, little short period of time. And it was much more for an inspection. There was no problem during the day."
But on Monday, in an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, Attorney General William Barr appeared to contradict this claim, saying Trump was genuinely protecting himself in the bunker.
"Things were so bad, the Secret Service recommended the president go down to the bunker," said Barr. "We can’t have that in our country."
Barr has also denied he had any role in giving the order to disperse protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets, even though photographs show he was on the scene and even though the White House press secretary said he ordered the perimeter pushed back.
Watch below:
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