Trump draws rebukes for suggesting protester was part of a ‘set up’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested without evidence that the 75-yearold protester in Buffalo, N.Y., who was seen on video being pushed to the ground by police in the past week could have been part of a setup coordinated by antifascist demonstrators.
His musings on Twitter drew a rebuke from the man’s lawyer, condemnation from Democrats and a now-familiar dance from many Republicans who had said that they had not seen a tweet by the president that was making headlines.
Twitter, which has recently taken a more aggressive stance in policing the truth of Mr. Trump’s tweets, said this one had not violated its policies because it was “speculative.”
Two Buffalo police officers have been charged with assault after footage showed them shoving Martin Gugino to the ground and blood pooling on the sidewalk below his head. Mr. Gugino has been transferred out of intensive care, but remains hospitalized.
“I watched, he fell harder than was pushed,” Mr. Trump said in his tweet. “Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?”
Mr. Trump cited a report by One America News Network, a tiny conservative cable outlet that based its reporting on speculation that appeared on a blog called the Conservative Treehouse.
A post on the blog suggests Mr. Gugino appeared to be using a police scanner on his phone, which it said is a common tactic of antifa, a radical anti-fascist movement Mr. Trump has blamed for violence at protests of the death of George Floyd. The post provided no evidence Mr. Gugino was affiliated with antifa.
Mr. Trump said Mr. Gugino “could be an ANTIFA provocateur,” writing that he was “pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment.”
Kelly Zarcone, a lawyer for Mr. Gugino, said Mr. Trump’s characterization has no basis in fact and questioned the president’s motives.
“Martin has always been a PEACEFUL protester because he cares about today’s society,” she said. “He is also a typical Western New Yorker who loves his family. No one from law enforcement has suggested otherwise, so we’re at a loss to understand why the president of the United States would make such a dark, dangerous and untrue accusation against him.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, called Mr. Trump “cruel & reckless” for his latest postings.
“The president is tweeting conspiracy theories about the Buffalo incident based on no evidence, no proof,” Mr. Cuomo tweeted. “Was the blood coming out of his head staged? Were our eyes lying to us? No. The man is still in the hospital & the president is disparaging him.”