Trump pushes conspiracy theory about rallier
75-year-old shoved to ground by Buffalo police
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump put forth an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory Tuesday about the 75-year-old protester in Buffalo who was pushed to the ground by police and hit his head on the sidewalk.
“75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment,” Trump said in a morning tweet.
Citing a report on conservative news network OANN, Trump said, “I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?” He said Gugino “could be” an anarchist “provocateur” but provided no evidence for that assertion.
Two suspended Buffalo police officers were charged with assault and accused of intentionally pushing Gugino, who bled from the back of the head after he hit the sidewalk. Gugino was still in a hospital Tuesday.
Reached by text, Gugino replied to the USA TODAY Network – New York that he had “no comment other than Black lives matter. Just out of the ICU. Should recover eventually. Thx.”
Kelly Zarcone, Gugino’s attorney, told The Washington Post that Gugino has always been a peaceful protester, and “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,” she said.
Democrats denounced Trump’s tweet, and many Republicans questioned why the president would advance a conspiracy theory involving an injured 75-year-old man.
Joe Biden, the president’s Democratic opponent in the upcoming election, described the comments as sinful.
“My Dad used to say there’s no greater sin than the abuse of power,” Biden tweeted. “Whether it’s an officer bloodying a peaceful protester or a President defending him with a conspiracy theory he saw on TV. I’m a Catholic – just like Martin. Our faith says that we can’t accept either.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the president should apologize for “the reprehensible, dumb comment,” a claim for which there was “no proof whatsoever.”
“Do you think it was staged? Do you think the blood coming out of his head was staged?” Cuomo asked during a briefing.
Ari Fleischer, a Republican and a former press secretary for President George W. Bush, slammed the tweet.
“The President’s penchant for trafficking in conspiracy theories is, politically speaking, going to ruin him,” tweeted Fleischer, who has sometimes allied himself with the president.