Lafayette Square: Use of Federal Force Against Peaceful Protesters for Presidential Photo Opportunity
Tier 3Documented2020-06-01 to 2021-06-09
Factual Summary
On the evening of June 1, 2020, federal law enforcement officers used chemical irritants, rubber bullets, and physical force to disperse a crowd of protesters gathered in Lafayette Square, directly across from the White House. The protesters had assembled as part of nationwide demonstrations following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020. The area was cleared approximately thirty minutes before a citywide curfew was scheduled to take effect.
Shortly after the crowd was dispersed, President Trump walked from the White House through Lafayette Square to St. John's Episcopal Church, which had sustained minor fire damage during previous nights of protest. Trump stood in front of the church holding a Bible and posed for photographs with senior administration officials, including Attorney General William Barr, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. The entire sequence, from the clearing of the square to the photo opportunity, was broadcast live on national television.
Multiple law enforcement agencies participated in the clearing operation, including the U.S. Park Police, the Secret Service, the Bureau of Prisons, and the D.C. Metropolitan Police. Video footage and eyewitness accounts, including reports from journalists who were present, documented the use of smoke canisters, pepper balls, and physical shoving against protesters, journalists, and a clergy member of St. John's Church. The Right Reverend Mariann Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, stated that Trump used the church as a "prop" and that clergy were tear-gassed without warning.
Attorney General Barr was filmed in Lafayette Square shortly before the clearing operation and was reported to have given the order to expand the security perimeter. Defense Secretary Esper later said he was not aware the walk would be a photo opportunity and had believed he was going to inspect damage. General Milley subsequently apologized publicly for his participation, stating: "I should not have been there. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics."
On June 9, 2021, the Department of the Interior's Inspector General released a report on the incident. The IG found that the U.S. Park Police had planned to clear Lafayette Square to install anti-scale fencing and that the decision to clear the area was not made in response to a request from the White House for the president to walk to the church. However, the report also found that the Park Police did not adequately warn protesters before beginning the operation, that warnings that were issued were not audible to the crowd, and that Bureau of Prisons officers may have fired pepper balls into the crowd contrary to the incident commander's instructions.
The IG report did not assess whether the level of force used was appropriate. It addressed only the Park Police's decision-making process and explicitly did not examine the actions of the Secret Service, the Bureau of Prisons, or the D.C. Metropolitan Police. D.C. Metropolitan Police officers were documented using tear gas against protesters, a fact not covered by the Interior Department IG's jurisdiction.
Primary Sources
1. Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General, "Review of U.S. Park Police Actions at Lafayette Park," June 9, 2021
2. Video recordings of the clearing operation, June 1, 2020 (C-SPAN, CNN, MSNBC, and other broadcast organizations)
3. General Mark Milley, public apology, June 11, 2020 (National Defense University commencement address)
Corroborating Sources
1. NPR: "Peaceful Protesters Tear-Gassed To Clear Way For Trump Church Photo-Op," June 1, 2020
2. NPR: "Watchdog Report Says Police Did Not Clear Protesters To Make Way For Trump Photo-Op," June 9, 2021
3. CNN: "Park Police did not clear Lafayette Square so Trump could hold 'Bible' photo op: Watchdog," June 9, 2021
4. NBC News: "Police did not clear D.C.'s Lafayette Square of protestors so Trump could hold a photo op, new report says," June 9, 2021
Counterarguments and Context
The administration argued that the clearing of Lafayette Square was a law enforcement decision made independently of the president's movements and that the operation was planned before the walk to St. John's Church was proposed. The Interior Department IG report supported the finding that the Park Police's decision to clear the area was related to fencing installation rather than the photo opportunity. Attorney General Barr stated that the timing was coincidental and that the perimeter expansion had been planned for days. Supporters argued that the protests in Lafayette Square had included violence on previous nights, including arson damage to St. John's Church, and that law enforcement had a legitimate basis for action. Critics of the IG report noted that its narrow jurisdictional scope meant it did not address the actions of several of the agencies involved in the clearing and that the question of whether the level of force was appropriate was left unanswered.
Author's Note
This entry is classified as Tier 3 because the events are documented through extensive video evidence, the IG report, and on-the-record statements from participants including General Milley's public apology. The IG report's finding that the clearing was not ordered specifically for the photo opportunity is noted, as is the report's finding that warnings were inadequate and that at least one agency acted outside its instructions. The narrow scope of the IG investigation, which did not cover all participating agencies and did not assess proportionality of force, is significant context for evaluating the report's conclusions.