Demonstrators gather at Lafayette Park for protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd, on June 2, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Jun 03, 2020
As many Senate Republicans either refused to answer questions about the police assault on peaceful protesters in the nation's capital Monday or openly praised President Donald Trump for the brutal crackdown, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked the passage of a Democratic resolution condemning Trump for violating the constitutional rights of demonstrators by "ordering federal officers to use gas and rubber bullets" against them.
Senate Democrats attempted to pass the non-binding resolution by unanimous consent, but the Kentucky Republican objected and put forth his own measure that stripped out any mention of the president.
"It's very simple why the Republican leader objected to our resolution and offered this one instead," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a floor speech, referring to McConnell's alternative resolution. "It's because they do not want to condemn what the president did, though every fair-minded American of any political party would."
In an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday evening as mass protests over the police killing of George Floyd continued in the nation's capital and across the country, Schumer called the Senate GOP's enabling of Trump "appalling" and slammed the president's deployment of military vehicles and personnel to the streets of Washington, D.C. as "just like a dictatorship."
The Daily Beastreported that Trump personally instructed military helicopters to fly low over demonstrators in D.C. and "has pressed aides and Pentagon officials for graphic details on the kind of armored vehicles, military units, aircraft, and even 'tanks' that they could potentially send" to U.S. cities.
"They're afraid. They're afraid of Donald Trump," Schumer said of Senate Republicans. "And that leads to Donald Trump getting worse and worse and worse. It's appalling."
\u201cIt's appalling how Senate GOP enables Pres. Trump\n\nWe demanded the Senate uphold Americans\u2019 rights & condemn Pres. Trump\u2019s unconstitutional order to have federal officers use gas & rubber bullets on peaceful protesters\n\nBut Sen. McConnell objected\n\nWe won't stop demanding action\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1591151103
Schumer introduced the Democratic resolution hours before the Washington Post, citing anonymous federal officials, reported Tuesday that Attorney General William Barr personally ordered law enforcement officials to beat back the peaceful demonstrators gathered near the White House in order to clear the path for Trump's walk to St. John's Episcopal Church.
Soldiers from the D.C. National Guard and the U.S. Park Police moved on the peaceful protesters, beating them with batons and firing tear gas into crowds, as Trump delivered an incendiary and militaristic speech in the Rose Garden of the White House--remarks that Democratic lawmakers condemned as a fascistic "declaration of war" against the public.
The U.S. Park Police subsequently claimed that despite numerous witness accounts, tear gas was not used against the demonstrators--a denial that has been touted by the Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. But as Vox's Alex Ward reported Tuesday, the narrative does not stand up to scrutiny.
"Nathan Baca, a reporter for WUSA9 in Washington, D.C., picked up a canister used during the Monday assault. It's not a smoke canister, but it does launch 'OC' gas which 'Causes same tears, tight breath and comes out green,'" Ward wrote. "Other journalists who covered the protests in person that evening say without a doubt that law enforcement used tear gas, a chemical irritant that can cause those exposed to it to want to vomit."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As many Senate Republicans either refused to answer questions about the police assault on peaceful protesters in the nation's capital Monday or openly praised President Donald Trump for the brutal crackdown, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked the passage of a Democratic resolution condemning Trump for violating the constitutional rights of demonstrators by "ordering federal officers to use gas and rubber bullets" against them.
Senate Democrats attempted to pass the non-binding resolution by unanimous consent, but the Kentucky Republican objected and put forth his own measure that stripped out any mention of the president.
"It's very simple why the Republican leader objected to our resolution and offered this one instead," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a floor speech, referring to McConnell's alternative resolution. "It's because they do not want to condemn what the president did, though every fair-minded American of any political party would."
In an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday evening as mass protests over the police killing of George Floyd continued in the nation's capital and across the country, Schumer called the Senate GOP's enabling of Trump "appalling" and slammed the president's deployment of military vehicles and personnel to the streets of Washington, D.C. as "just like a dictatorship."
The Daily Beastreported that Trump personally instructed military helicopters to fly low over demonstrators in D.C. and "has pressed aides and Pentagon officials for graphic details on the kind of armored vehicles, military units, aircraft, and even 'tanks' that they could potentially send" to U.S. cities.
"They're afraid. They're afraid of Donald Trump," Schumer said of Senate Republicans. "And that leads to Donald Trump getting worse and worse and worse. It's appalling."
\u201cIt's appalling how Senate GOP enables Pres. Trump\n\nWe demanded the Senate uphold Americans\u2019 rights & condemn Pres. Trump\u2019s unconstitutional order to have federal officers use gas & rubber bullets on peaceful protesters\n\nBut Sen. McConnell objected\n\nWe won't stop demanding action\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1591151103
Schumer introduced the Democratic resolution hours before the Washington Post, citing anonymous federal officials, reported Tuesday that Attorney General William Barr personally ordered law enforcement officials to beat back the peaceful demonstrators gathered near the White House in order to clear the path for Trump's walk to St. John's Episcopal Church.
Soldiers from the D.C. National Guard and the U.S. Park Police moved on the peaceful protesters, beating them with batons and firing tear gas into crowds, as Trump delivered an incendiary and militaristic speech in the Rose Garden of the White House--remarks that Democratic lawmakers condemned as a fascistic "declaration of war" against the public.
The U.S. Park Police subsequently claimed that despite numerous witness accounts, tear gas was not used against the demonstrators--a denial that has been touted by the Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. But as Vox's Alex Ward reported Tuesday, the narrative does not stand up to scrutiny.
"Nathan Baca, a reporter for WUSA9 in Washington, D.C., picked up a canister used during the Monday assault. It's not a smoke canister, but it does launch 'OC' gas which 'Causes same tears, tight breath and comes out green,'" Ward wrote. "Other journalists who covered the protests in person that evening say without a doubt that law enforcement used tear gas, a chemical irritant that can cause those exposed to it to want to vomit."
As many Senate Republicans either refused to answer questions about the police assault on peaceful protesters in the nation's capital Monday or openly praised President Donald Trump for the brutal crackdown, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked the passage of a Democratic resolution condemning Trump for violating the constitutional rights of demonstrators by "ordering federal officers to use gas and rubber bullets" against them.
Senate Democrats attempted to pass the non-binding resolution by unanimous consent, but the Kentucky Republican objected and put forth his own measure that stripped out any mention of the president.
"It's very simple why the Republican leader objected to our resolution and offered this one instead," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a floor speech, referring to McConnell's alternative resolution. "It's because they do not want to condemn what the president did, though every fair-minded American of any political party would."
In an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday evening as mass protests over the police killing of George Floyd continued in the nation's capital and across the country, Schumer called the Senate GOP's enabling of Trump "appalling" and slammed the president's deployment of military vehicles and personnel to the streets of Washington, D.C. as "just like a dictatorship."
The Daily Beastreported that Trump personally instructed military helicopters to fly low over demonstrators in D.C. and "has pressed aides and Pentagon officials for graphic details on the kind of armored vehicles, military units, aircraft, and even 'tanks' that they could potentially send" to U.S. cities.
"They're afraid. They're afraid of Donald Trump," Schumer said of Senate Republicans. "And that leads to Donald Trump getting worse and worse and worse. It's appalling."
\u201cIt's appalling how Senate GOP enables Pres. Trump\n\nWe demanded the Senate uphold Americans\u2019 rights & condemn Pres. Trump\u2019s unconstitutional order to have federal officers use gas & rubber bullets on peaceful protesters\n\nBut Sen. McConnell objected\n\nWe won't stop demanding action\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1591151103
Schumer introduced the Democratic resolution hours before the Washington Post, citing anonymous federal officials, reported Tuesday that Attorney General William Barr personally ordered law enforcement officials to beat back the peaceful demonstrators gathered near the White House in order to clear the path for Trump's walk to St. John's Episcopal Church.
Soldiers from the D.C. National Guard and the U.S. Park Police moved on the peaceful protesters, beating them with batons and firing tear gas into crowds, as Trump delivered an incendiary and militaristic speech in the Rose Garden of the White House--remarks that Democratic lawmakers condemned as a fascistic "declaration of war" against the public.
The U.S. Park Police subsequently claimed that despite numerous witness accounts, tear gas was not used against the demonstrators--a denial that has been touted by the Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. But as Vox's Alex Ward reported Tuesday, the narrative does not stand up to scrutiny.
"Nathan Baca, a reporter for WUSA9 in Washington, D.C., picked up a canister used during the Monday assault. It's not a smoke canister, but it does launch 'OC' gas which 'Causes same tears, tight breath and comes out green,'" Ward wrote. "Other journalists who covered the protests in person that evening say without a doubt that law enforcement used tear gas, a chemical irritant that can cause those exposed to it to want to vomit."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.