The Justice Department’s internal watchdog will investigate federal law enforcement officers’ response to protests in D.C., including the use of tear gas and rubber bullets to clear protesters from Lafayette Park in June so President Trump could stage a photo op.
U.S. Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said Thursday he would examine the training and instruction given to law enforcement officers who have responded to protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the District and Portland, Ore. The probe will include a review of the use of less-lethal weapons and chemical agents, which have been widely used by law enforcement officers in protests that have swept the country after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Horowitz said in a news release he will coordinate his review of the events at Lafayette Park with the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General, which launched its own probe. Lawmakers and advocates have lambasted the tactics used by federal law enforcement outside the White House on June 1, arguing they were overly aggressive.
U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops shoved protesters and used tear gas to disperse crowds, so Trump could walk through Lafayette Park and pose in front of St. John’s Church with a bible. A fire was started in the basement of the Episcopal church the night before, after a day of mostly peaceful protests.
The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal bishop of Washington who oversees the church, said she was not told ahead of time that Trump would pose in front of the historic church.
“It almost looked like a prop,” she told NPR. “That is the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition. It speaks messages of love, of God, love of neighbor. I was outraged that he felt that he had the license to do that, and that he would abuse our sacred symbols and our sacred space in that way.”
The investigation will also review whether officers complied with requirements to identify themselves.
Debbie Truong