Trump Ordered Staff to ‘Bust Some Heads’ of Black Lives Matter Protesters Prior to Church Photo Op: Book

Authored by rollingstone.com and submitted by wraithtek
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Former President Donald Trump instructed Mark Meadows to “bust some heads and make some arrests” of Black Lives Matter protesters who had gathered outside the White House in the summer of 2020, the former chief of staff writes in his new book.

Trump gave the instruction as he prepared to walk from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church to squint and have his picture taken while holding a Bible. The U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops tear-gassed protesters in Lafayette Square, which sits between the White House and the church, to clear a path for the president.

“Upstairs in the Residence, President Trump was growing anxious,” Meadows reportedly wrote in The Chief’s Chief, which published Tuesday. “He had given an order for the park to be cleared, and it was not being followed. The various law enforcement agencies that were supposed to be under the command of [then-Attorney General] Bill Barr were clearly not communicating with one another, and it did not seem that a single arrest had yet been made.”

Protesters had gathered in Lafayette Square on June 1 as part of the demonstrations sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. According to Meadows, the protesters were trying to take down a statue of President Andrew Jackson that stood in the park, prompting him to phone Trump. “It looks like we have a situation out here,” Meadows said, according to the book. “They’re trying to tear down statues and vandalizing the park. I assume that we have the authority to deploy whatever law enforcement is necessary to fix this?”

Trump’s answer was yes, and more. “Not only do you have the authority,” the president said, according to Meadows. “I want you to go out there and bust some heads and make some arrests. We need to restore order.”

Meadows writes that he “was not quite prepared to crack anything,” but notes that he “went to the front door of the White House and spoke with the head of the Secret Service” and “pointed out that we had orders from President Trump to open up Pennsylvania Avenue.”

“The leaders of these forces were resisting, but it was clear that the officers on the ground felt the same way President Trump did,” Meadows added.

Meadows’ book has reportedly angered Trump, who feels betrayed by Meadows’ accounting of his presidency — including a story that Trump tested positive for Covid ahead of a debate with Biden, a week before the White House publicly acknowledged his diagnosis. Trump’s reported anger about that revelation prompted Meadows to call his own book “fake news” after Trump did. Perhaps in an effort to appease the former president further, Meadows announced through his lawyer on Tuesday that he no longer intends to cooperate with the congressional committee investigating Jan. 6.

PM_ME_UR_RESPECT on December 8th, 2021 at 01:44 UTC »

It is still just so fucking wild when you think about it.

The guy from The Apprentice became president and cleared out a protest in front of the white house so he could stand next to a church and hold a Bible upside down.

Unreal.

newfrontier58 on December 7th, 2021 at 22:30 UTC »

Former President Donald Trump instructed Mark Meadows to “bust some heads and make some arrests” of Black Lives Matter protesters who had gathered outside the White House in the summer of 2020, the former chief of staff writes in his new book.

Trump gave the instruction as he prepared to walk from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church to squint and have his picture taken while holding a Bible. The U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops tear-gassed protesters in Lafayette Square, which sits between the White House and the church, to clear a path for the president.

“Upstairs in the Residence, President Trump was growing anxious,” Meadows reportedly wrote in The Chief’s Chief, which published Tuesday. “He had given an order for the park to be cleared, and it was not being followed. The various law enforcement agencies that were supposed to be under the command of [then-Attorney General] Bill Barr were clearly not communicating with one another, and it did not seem that a single arrest had yet been made.”

Protesters had gathered in Lafayette Square on June 1 as part of the demonstrations sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. According to Meadows, the protesters were trying to take down a statue of President Andrew Jackson that stood in the park, prompting him to phone Trump. “It looks like we have a situation out here,” Meadows said, according to the book. “They’re trying to tear down statues and vandalizing the park. I assume that we have the authority to deploy whatever law enforcement is necessary to fix this?”

Trump’s answer was yes, and more. “Not only do you have the authority,” the president said, according to Meadows. “I want you to go out there and bust some heads and make some arrests. We need to restore order.”

Meadows writes that he “was not quite prepared to crack anything,” but notes that he “went to the front door of the White House and spoke with the head of the Secret Service” and “pointed out that we had orders from President Trump to open up Pennsylvania Avenue.”

“The leaders of these forces were resisting, but it was clear that the officers on the ground felt the same way President Trump did,” Meadows added.

I was commenting on another thread and brought up, because it involved France and racial politics, May 1968, and now I have been thinking about other incidents, for example Mexico, the massacre in Mexico City. Reading stuff like this, I'm still nervous just how often Trump really wanted that in the end.

AnotherCatLover on December 7th, 2021 at 22:22 UTC »

https://www.twitter.com/7NewsAustralia/status/1267748600945106944

I mean, Australian Journalists were RIGHT THERE.