A federal judge on Monday threw out most of a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and former Attorney General William Barr that was filed by the domestic terrorists of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement over the clearing of Lafayette Square last June.
The park, which is across from the White House, was the scene of violent Black Lives Matter protests last May 29-31, in which rioters assaulted officers and journalists. On May 31, the nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church was partially burnt.
On June 1, the U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service cleared the park to establish a wider, fenced perimeter to protect the White House. They used pepper balls and riot shields, but not tear gas. In a separate operation, the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department used tear gas nearby as they attempted to disperse protesters expelled from the park.
After the park had been cleared, President Trump walked across it to the church and held up a Bible to remind Americans of the importance of the rule of law, and to show that the democratically-elected administration was still in control.
Then-candidate Joe Biden, as well as mainstream media outlets like the Post, falsely claimed that Trump used the military to “tear gas” the “peaceful protesters” so that he could have a “photo-op” with the Bible.
The judge found that there was a “national security” interest at stake — “specifically, the country’s national-security interest in the safety and security of the President and the area surrounding the White House” — meaning that there could be no suit for damages without express congressional intervention.
Now we can look forward to the lawsuits against BLM for the riots and looting its “peaceful protesters” perpetrated all across the nation throughout 2020.