Yesterday, President Trump marched from the White House across Lafayette Square to St. John’s Church aka “The Church of the Presidents” which was set on fire by rioters the prior evening.
Before Trump began his march a large collection of protestors were positioned in and around Lafayette Square and the White House posing a challenge for Trump’s movement to the church.
The protestors were cleared out in a manner which caught criticism from the media:
Trump’s Rose Garden remarks came as just across the street, law enforcement officers deployed tear gas and shot rubber bullets to forcefully disperse peaceful protesters. Washington, D.C., had set a curfew Monday of 7 p.m. ET.
The protesters were removed from the Lafayette Square area across from the White House, apparently to clear the way for the president to walk to St. John’s Church, where he posed briefly for photographers, holding a Bible. Parts of the church compound were damaged by rioters on Sunday night.
In a statement, Judd Deere, the White House’s deputy press secretary, said: “The perimeter was expanded to help enforce the 7 p.m. curfew in the same area where rioters attempted to burn down one of our nation’s most historic churches the night before. Protesters were given three warnings by the U.S. Park Police.”
Now a GOP Senator has taken to the cause.
Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska is also criticizing Trump’s march to St. John’s in which he posed for photos while holding the Holy Bible:
BEN SASSE statement: “There is no right to riot… But there is a fundamental—a Constitutional—right to protest, and I’m against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop.”
— Tim Alberta (@TimAlberta) June 2, 2020
This is not the first time Senator Sasse and the President have been at odds.
During Trump’s 2016 campaign, Sasse became the first sitting GOP Senator to oppose his candidacy and said he would not vote for Trump.
Sasse has also called Trump a “megalomaniac strongman” despite largely voting in line with the President’s agenda.
