Gregory Monahan, acting chief of the United States Park Police, defended the forced transfer of protesters from a park near the White House on June 1 that immediately preceded President Trump’s photo shoot before a church, saying that his officers “acted with tremendous restraint.”
Monahan testified Tuesday before the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee that neither the White House nor Attorney General William Barr ordered the removal of the Lafayette Square protesters, and that the Park Police incident commander ordered the cleanup. because protesters had turned violent from May 29 to June 1 and more than 50 officers had been injured during that time.
Monahan told lawmakers that the cleanup of the park, approximately 30 minutes before the 7pm curfew, and the installation of a new fence had nothing to do with Trump’s walk from the White House to take a photo. before the Church of San Juan that had been damaged by fire. the previous night.
SECRET SERVICE ROUTES DENIAL TO USE PEPPER SPRAY ON WHITE HOUSE GUARDS
“We did not clean up the park to take a photo,” Monahan said, noting that her officers gave protesters three warnings. “We cleared the park for public safety.”
“There was a 100 percent zero correlation between our operation and the president’s visit to the church,” added the park’s chief of police.
Acting Chief of the United States Park Police Gregory T. Monahan testifies before a hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee on the actions taken on June 1, 2020 in Lafayette Square, Tuesday, July 28, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. He sits with the helmet of one of the officers who was injured by a violent protester who threw a brick at his head. (Bill Clark / Pool via AP)
However, Adam DeMarco, a commander of the District of Columbia National Guard who was on the scene as a liaison between the Guard and the Park Police, said the three warnings on a megaphone were “barely audible” and occurred 40 minutes before the curfew. to take effect.
DeMarco said the protesters were peaceful and were subjected to “unprovoked” and “excessive” use of force. He said police used CS or “tear gas” when he saw gas canisters of tear gas on the nearby street. Actions against protesters on June 1 were “deeply disturbing,” he said.
President Donald Trump holds a Bible while visiting outside the Church of St. John across Lafayette Park from the White House on Monday, June 1, 2020 in Washington. Part of the church was burned down during the protests on Sunday night. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky)
“[I]It was my observation that the use of force against protesters in the clearing operation was an unnecessary escalation of the use of force, “DeMarco told lawmakers.” From my observation, those protesters, our fellow Americans, participated in the peaceful expression of their First Amendment rights. However, they were subjected to unprovoked escalation and the excessive use of force. “
DeMarco graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2018 as a Democrat in Maryland.
Monahan maintains that the police were “specifically prohibited from using CS gas on June 1.” He said the police used peppercorns, smoke cans and Stinger balls on protesters to clean up the park. Monahan said she knew earlier that Trump would visit Lafayette Square.
TRUMP VOWS TO MOBILIZE FEDERAL RESOURCES IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NATION, SURPRISE MAKES A TRIP TO THE CHURCH THAT CAUGHT FIRE
The park cleanup came when Trump gave a Rose Garden statement that he was taking steps to mobilize federal resources to quell violent protests. He also threatened to deploy the army if states did not send the National Guard to the protests.
“I have recommended that each governor deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to dominate the streets,” the president said during his speech. “We are ending the unrest and lawlessness, we will end it today.”
After the park was cleared, Trump walked to St. John’s Church with Barr, his daughter, and White House counselor Ivanka Trump, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. He made no comments or prayers, but posed for a photo with a Bible in front of the church.
Democrats argued that the confrontation with protesters, before the 7 p.m. curfew, was an unwarranted escalation and coordinated with Trump’s crackdown speech and subsequent photo shoot.
S T. RECTOR OF THE CHURCH OF JOHN IN THE WEEK OF FIRE, VISIT IMPROMPTU TRUMP: ‘AS IN AN ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE’
Representative Raúl Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona, said the park cleanup was “proof” of Trump’s effort to send federal officials to cities across the country like Portland.
President Donald Trump walks past police in Lafayette Park after visiting the exterior of the Church of St. John in front of the White House on Monday June 1, 2020 in Washington. Part of the church was burned down during the protests on Sunday night. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky)
“Lafayette Square was a test of … [an] the continued and illegal repression by the Trump administration that is being inflicted on the cities of this country and is trying to intensify those confrontations, “said Grijalva.” Rather than try and admit that what happened on June 1 was wrong, the administration is doubling its response to unarmed civilians in cities like Portland. “
But Republicans on the committee backed the police action and accused Democrats of holding the hearing for political purposes.
“The nature of today’s title that the US Park Police somehow attacked peaceful protesters is ridiculous,” said Rep. Jody Hice, R-Georgia. “The claim that these were peaceful protests is completely ignoring the facts.”
Monahan said the protests near the White House against George Floyd’s death included “bad actors” who threw projectiles at the police, including bricks, rocks, lit flares, water bottles, fireworks and 2×4 wooden sections, which caused wounded more than 50 officers. – but only one officer was injured on June 1 – and that was after police began cleaning up the park, he testified.
AOC LEADS CONGRESSIONAL STRUGGLE TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF THE TEAR GAS POLICE: “CHEMICAL WEAPON?”
The clearing was necessary to install a new non-stop fence in the area that police determined was necessary to reduce protests, he said.
Monahan said protesters received three warnings to leave the park, though Democratic lawmakers and certain witnesses at the scene said the warnings were not audible and were surprised to see police use force on largely peaceful protesters before the touch 7 pm curfew.
“The United States Park Police acted with great restraint in the face of severe violence from a large group of bad actors that caused 50 of my officers to seek medical attention,” Monahan said.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, expressed his regret for accompanying Trump during a photo shoot amid the protests, calling the decision “a mistake.”
Defense Secretary Esper also disagreed with the visit to the church, saying he tries to keep himself and the military out of politics as best he can.
The ACLU, which represents Black Lives Matter activists, filed a lawsuit against Trump, Barr, Esper, Secret Service leaders, the National Park Police, the DC National Guard and others who claim they should not have ordered the use of violence against peaceful protesters.
“Unprovoked, the defendants ordered their agents in the US Secret Service, the US Park Police, the DC National Guard and the US Military Police to flee of the zone “, alleges the demand. “Many peaceful protesters were injured, some seriously, by this unprovoked attack.”
Fox News’ Morgan Phillips, Lucas Tomlinson and Brooke Signman contributed to this report.
