House Democrats began demanding answers Tuesday from the Trump administration on federal authorities’ use of force to clear largely peaceful protesters from around Lafayette Square to allow President Trump’s photo op outside a church near the White House.
The protests against police brutality and racial injustice after the death of George Floyd have escalated into riots, violence and looting in some cities. The unrest has prompted Trump to threaten to use more aggressive actions to quell the protests if states fail to crack down, including the U.S. military.
Several Democratic chairmen pressed the administration for witness testimony and documents from several government entities, from the Defense Department to the Secret Service to the Justice Department.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) described himself as “stunned, disturbed, and furious” after law enforcement forcibly cleared the streets Monday night moments before Trump took a walk across Lafayette Square to pose with a Bible in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
June 3, 2020
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