Warren asks DOD IG to investigate tactics used for Trump’s church visit

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked the Defense Department’s inspector general to investigate any military involvement in crowd dispersal tactics during the protests over the death of George Floyd.

In a letter to acting Inspector General Sean O’Donnell, Warren specifically mentioned reports that police used tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful protesters Monday so President Trump could walk to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette Park – which was set on fire by rioters – for a photo op.

The Trump campaign denied reports that tear gas was used on the protesters. The statement said that, “We now know through the U.S. Park Police that neither they, nor any of their law enforcement partners, used tear gas to quell rising violence. We also know that police discovered stashes of weapons like glass bottles, baseball bats, and metal poles hidden nearby, which are indeed strange items to have on hand for a ‘peaceful’ protest.”

Warren, like other Democrats, referred to the tactics as an “‘ambush’ of American citizens who were protesting the killing of [George] Floyd,” claiming it was done to allow Trump “to partake in a blatantly political photo opportunity.”

She also mentioned a call Trump made with several governors in which he said he wished there was an “occupying force” in major cities and in a speech to the nation this week he warned he would send “thousands and thousands” of soldiers to quell D.C. protests.

macko

Article URL : https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/warren-asks-dod-ig-to-investigate-tactics-used-for-trumps-church-visit/ar-BB14Xkzz