Attorney General William Barr surveyed hundreds of demonstrators across from the White House ahead of a Rose Garden address by President Trump.
Cameras caught Barr standing in Lafayette Park behind a line of Secret Service agents wearing riot gear and surrounded by security forces while he observed the protests who had congregated in the other half of the park.
This was around 6:30 p.m., roughly half an hour before the start of a curfew by the city of Washington, D.C.
As live video of Barr aired on CNN, anchor Don Lemon said, “It looks very militaristic to me. A general overseeing his troops.”
Soon after he left, assorted law enforcement officers on the scene began to push the protesters back, and loud booms could be heard as they used nonlethal weapons to disperse the crowd. After his address, Trump headed over to nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church, where firefighters extinguished a fire that had been set in the basement on Sunday. He then posed for the cameras with a Bible in front of the boarded-up church along with Barr and others members of his administration.
Standing in front of St. John’s Church, boarded up against violent protests, and with senior staff at his side, plus Attorney General Barr, Pres Trump says “we have the greatest country in the world.” Holding a Bible, he says he’ll keep the country “nice and safe.” pic.twitter.com/2jxOMz44rd
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) June 1, 2020
The protests began last week after George Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest. Video of the incident showed Floyd begging repeatedly, saying he could not breathe and going unconscious. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired by the department and later arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday. The demonstrations began after video emerged of Chauvin digging his knee into Floyd’s neck.
Barr said on Saturday that “many places” across the country were seeing violent protests spurred by “anarchic” and “far-left extremist groups.” He added that agitators were using “antifa-like tactics” and that many of them were traveling from out of state to participate in the protests.
Barr added on Sunday that the violence being “instigated and carried out” by “antifa and other similar groups” in connection to nationwide rioting is “domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.”
During his Rose Garden address, where shouts from distant protesters could be heard, Trump announced that he would use his executive authority to deploy active-duty troops into U.S. cities experiencing violence amid the protests.
“Today, I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets,” Trump said. “Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled. If a city or state refuses to take the actions necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”
Over the weekend, it was reported that active-duty forces from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Drum in New York were told to be on the ready for deployment within a four-hour time frame if called. Trump would be able to send active-duty troops into cities under the Insurrection Act of 1807, which was last used by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 during the Rodney King riots.
Governors can ask the federal government to send active-duty troops to their states to help combat civil unrest, although no such request has yet been made. Governors have deployed the National Guard to assist local law enforcement with the unrest. The Insurrection Act allows the president to circumvent the need for a governor’s request and send troops out to quell the riots.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters earlier in the day that the Insurrection Act is “one of the tools available, whether the president decides to pursue that, that’s his prerogative.”
Trump has taken a tough stance against the violent protests and stirred controversy last week when he tweeted: “Looting leads to shooting.” In a call with governors on Monday, the president called for the state leaders to “dominate” violent protesters.
“You’ve got a big National Guard out there that’s ready to come and fight like hell,” Trump said in leaked audio from the call. “Most of you are weak,” he told the governors.
The Defense Department did not immediately respond to comment when the Washington Examiner reached out for comment about the possible use of the Insurrection Act.
Protests rocked the district all weekend.
After a curfew that was ignored by protesters on Sunday, Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed another one for 7 p.m. on Monday.
As scores of protesters gathered outside of the White House on Friday night, the Secret Service rushed Trump to an underground bunker in the White House. Hundreds of military police units were deployed to D.C. to provide security; they will not be performing certain law enforcement actions such as arresting protesters.
