DC officials call out Trump administration's lies about siege on Lafayette Square
President Donald Trump's administration has already been caught in multiple lies about the June 1 siege on Lafayette Square that occurred so President Donald Trump could walk across the street for a photo-op in front of a church awkwardly holding a Bible.
A Washington Post report revealed that Washington, D.C. officials are calling out the lies from the administration.
Weeks ago, every law enforcement entity was on message saying that no tear gas or pepper spray was used on protesters.
"No tear gas was used, and no rubber bullets were used," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said.
President Donald Trump prompted a false claim by The Federalist, similarly saying that the protests weren't peaceful, and no tear gas was used.
Attorney General Bill Barr also lied on television, saying that it was all about moving the protest perimeter a single block. A collection of videos from several angles show the law enforcement units pushed protesters back more than one block in several different directions. It also proved that there was very little violence. Two water bottles were thrown at police, and protesters could be heard on camera telling people not to do that.
"It was communicated to all the police agencies, including the Metropolitan Police at 2 p.m. that day," the attorney general said in the CBS. "The effort was to move the perimeter one block, and it had to be done when we had enough people in place to achieve that."
June 5, the Park Police and Secret Service let it slip that it was all a lie.
But the Park Police took it a step further.
"The point is we admitted to using what we used," Park Police spokesperson Sgt. Eduardo Delgado told Vox. "I think the term 'tear gas' doesn't even matter anymore. It was a mistake on our part for using 'tear gas' because we just assumed people would think CS or CN."
CS and CN are both widely referred to as tear gas.
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told the Post that there were discussions about pushing the perimeter, but there was nothing confirmed. They didn't secure the area using the fence until several hours after the fact.
"When they extended the perimeter, it was overnight," he said.
Newsham also said that police communications revealed that they found out the protesters were to be moved after he and others were told Trump would be walking to the church.
"We heard that there was going to be an unscheduled presidential movement," Newsham said. "Just a few minutes later, our teams on the ground learned [chemical] munitions were going to be used. The munitions were deployed minutes later."
"Another D.C. public safety official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation, said it was as if the Park Police plan to move the perimeter had been 'hurried up' around the time the president decided to walk to the church. The clearing of the area began just after 6:30 p.m., and Trump left the White House for the church about 7:02 p.m.," the report said.
National Guard Bureau chief Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel told the Post that he was stunned watching the siege on television.
"I never heard any plan, ever, that police or National Guard were going to push people out of Lafayette Square," said Lengyel.
The acting chief of the Park Police, Gregory Monahan, said that the fence installation had nothing to do with the siege. He told the Post that the fence "had been discussed as early as two days prior" and was "completely irrespective" of the trip to the church.
Moving the perimeter "was contingent upon having enough resources on scene. Given that the majority of law enforcement personnel did not report until later in the day, a late afternoon or early evening operation was inevitable."
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