A federal judge has dismissed claims that former White House officials conspired to forcibly remove peaceful protesters last year from Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square so that then-President Donald Trump could pose for a photo holding a Bible at a nearby church.
The lawsuit stems from June 1, 2020, when U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops dispersed a largely peaceful gathering of Black Lives Matter protesters from the square near the White House using tear gas and pepper spray.
Trump, accompanied by then-Attorney General William Barr, then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, strode to St. John’s Church across from the square, where the photo was taken.
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