Inspector General Report Finds Lafayette Square Was Not Cleared for Trump ‘Photo-Op’

Law enforcement officials were not directed to clear Lafayette Park of protesters so that then-President Donald Trump could stage a “photo-op” at St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C. last June, according to a report from the Department of the Interior’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

On Wednesday, the Interior Department released the report which examined the “actions the U.S. Park Police (USPP) took to disperse protesters in and around Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, on June 1, 2020.”

“Protests began in and around Lafayette Park on May 29, 2020. On May 30, the USPP and U.S. Secret Service established a unified command to coordinate the law enforcement response to the protests. From May 30 to 31, at least 49 USPP officers were injured while policing the protests, and Federal and private property was vandalized,” the review said.

It continued, “On the morning of June 1, the Secret Service procured antiscale fencing to establish a more secure perimeter around Lafayette Park that was to be delivered and installed that same day. The USPP, in coordination with the Secret Service, determined that it was necessary to clear protesters from the area in and around the park to enable the contractor’s employees to safely install the fence.”

The report noted that the operation to clear the park “began at 6:23 p.m. and was completed by 6:50 p.m.” And that “Shortly thereafter, at 7:01 p.m., President Trump walked from the White House through Lafayette Park to St. John’s Church.”

In a key finding, the report said, “We found that the USPP had the authority and discretion to clear Lafayette Park and the surrounding areas on June 1. The evidence we obtained did not support a finding that the USPP cleared the park to allow the President to survey the damage and walk to St. John’s Church. Instead, the evidence we reviewed showed that the USPP cleared the park to allow the contractor to safely install the antiscale fencing in response to destruction of property and injury to officers occurring on May 30 and 31.”