Pulling Punches: Trump-Appointed Watchdog Suppressed White House-Related Probes pogo.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pogo.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The Homeland Security Department was legally authorized to send federal officers to Portland last summer to protect federal property, but they were “unprepared” to carry out their duties due to inadequate strategies, training, and equipment, according to an internal watchdog.
A Friday report from the DHS inspector general offers a sometimes critical assessment of how the Trump administration handled sending hundreds of federal officers to the Oregon city during a period of heightened unrest that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“[Homeland Security] had the legal authority to designate and deploy DHS law enforcement officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and United States Secret Service to help FPS protect Federal facilities in Portland, Oregon,” the report said.
Trump-Appointed Watchdog Blocked Inquiry in Attack of Lafayette Park Protestors
Then-President Donald Trump holds up a bible outside of St. John s Church across from Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C., on June 1, 2020.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
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A Trump-appointed inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) blocked suggested investigations into the Secret Service in 2020, proposed by career staffers, that would have examined the agency’s COVID-19 response and missteps, as well as the violent mistreatment of protesters in Lafayette Square last summer, in order to grant the former president an unimpeded photo op.
Records and statements obtained by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), a nonprofit government watchdog organization, showcased how Joseph Cuffari, the department’s inspector general, refused to tackle these issues even though he was urged to do so by staff within DHS.
DHS watchdog declined to investigate Secret Service s use of force in Lafayette Square Kristine Phillips, USA TODAY
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WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security s internal watchdog rejected a proposal to investigate the Secret Service s use of force against racial justice protesters in Lafayette Square in Washington last summer, according to internal records reviewed by USA TODAY.
Such a probe would have looked into the Secret Service s role in forcing protesters out of Lafayette Square near St. John s Episcopal Church, just before former President Donald Trump stood in front of the historic church for a photo op.
The forceful removal of demonstrators on June 1 – and the photo op that followed – have become a defining moment in Trump s response to the months-long racial justice protests over the death of George Floyd.
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security s internal watchdog rejected a proposal to investigate the Secret Service s use of force against racial justice protesters in Lafayette Square in Washington last summer, according to internal records reviewed by USA TODAY.
Such a probe would have looked into the Secret Service s role in forcing protesters out of Lafayette Square near St. John s Episcopal Church, just before former President Donald Trump stood in front of the historic church for a photo op.
The forceful removal of demonstrators on June 1 and the photo op that followed have become a defining moment in Trump s response to the monthslong racial justice protests over the death of George Floyd.