Fact Check: Joe Biden Repeats Lie that Trump Gassed Peaceful Protesters to Clear Park for Photo-Op
Elizabeth Weibel 29 May 2024
CLAIM: President Joe Biden claimed former President Donald Trump had tear-gassed peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square in order to have a photo-op with a Bible.
VERDICT: False. This claim has been debunked several times. In June 2021, the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Interior released a report that exonerated Trump from claims that he had used tear gas on peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square in June 2020 while taking part in a photo-op at a church.
In his claim, Biden questioned what Trump “would have done if black Americans had stormed the Capitol” on January 6, 2021.
“What do you think he would’ve done on January 6 if black Americans had stormed the … think about this,” Biden said at a campaign event in Philadelphia. “What do you think would have happened if black Americans had stormed the Capitol? I don’t think he’d be talking about pardons. This is the same guy who wanted to tear gas you as you peacefully protested George Floyd’s murder.”
Democrats and several members of the media falsely claimed that Trump used tear gas on peaceful protesters to clear the park for a photo shoot. At the time, Biden falsely claimed that Trump had held the Bible “upside down.”
The report from the inspector general confirmed Trump and former Attorney General William Barr’s version of events that took place that day:
Protests began in and around Lafayette Park on May 29, 2020. On May 30, the USPP [U.S. Park Police] and U.S. Secret Service established a unified command to coordinate the law enforcement response to the protests. From May 30 to 31, at least 49 USPP officers were injured while policing the protests, and Federal and private property was vandalized.
On the morning of June 1, the Secret Service procured antiscale fencing to establish a more secure perimeter around Lafayette Park that was to be delivered and installed that same day. The USPP, in coordination with the Secret Service, determined that it was necessary to clear protesters from the area in and around the park to enable the contractor’s employees to safely install the fence. The USPP planned to implement the operation as soon as the fencing materials and sufficient law enforcement officers arrived at the park. Six other law enforcement agencies assisted the USPP and the Secret Service in the operation to clear and secure areas near the park.
The operation began at 6:23 p.m. and was completed by 6:50 p.m. Shortly thereafter, at 7:01 p.m., President Trump walked from the White House through Lafayette Park to St. John’s Church. At 7:30 p.m., the contractor began assembling and installing the antiscale fence and completed the work by approximately 12:30 a.m. on June 2.more
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/05/29/fact-check-joe-biden-repeats-lie-trump-gassing-protesters-clear-park-photo-op/
