Maryland Matters

On Monday, police from several agencies, including the Secret Service, the Park Police and the Washington, D.C., National Guard forcibly removed peaceful protesters from Lafayette Park, outside the White House.

The use of force was conducted so that President Trump could walk to St. John’s Episcopal Church, where he posed for pictures holding a bible, before returning to the executive mansion. He did not speak or enter the church. 

In the wake of bipartisan criticism of the government’s action, which included the use of tear gas, the Department of Defense has sought to distance itself from the decision to use force against peaceful civilians 30 minutes before that night’s curfew went into effect.

In an interview with Maryland Matters reporter Bruce DePuyt, Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.), a constitutional scholar, accused the president of having “a complete police-state mentality.”

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