GOP senators offer rare rebuke of Trump
Criticize church visit after removal of protesters
A handful of GOP senators spoke out Tuesday against President Donald Trump, criticizing his visit to a church after police removed peaceful demonstrators from a park near the White House. The remarks came even as most Republicans continued to avoid any disapproval of the president.
In a memorable scene captured live on television, police cleared Lafayette Park so Trump could walk to nearby St. John’s Church and pose with a Bible.
Trump’s actions drew widespread condemnation from Democrats and religious leaders who said he was misusing the Bible and the church where presidents have prayed for more than 150 years. Some Republicans joined in the criticism on Tuesday.
“There is no right to riot, no right to destroy others’ property ... but there is a fundamental — a Constitutional — right to protest, and I’m against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop,” said Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, said Trump’s visit to the church was unhelpful and not something Scott would have done.
“Obviously, if your question is, should you use tear gas to clear a path so the president can go have a photo-op, the answer is no,” Scott told Politico Tuesday, while noting he did not personally see the incident.
Sen. Susan Collins, Rmaine, said it was “painful to watch peaceful protesters be subjected to tear gas in order for the president to go across the street to a church that I believe he’s attended only once.” While Americans are justifiably upset that the historic church was set on fire and vandalized, “I thought that the president came across as unsympathetic and insensitive,” she said.
Sen. James Lankford, R-okla., called Trump’s walk to the church “confrontational” and said it “distracted from his important message in the Rose Garden about our national grief, racism, peaceful protests and lawful assembly.” That message “was drowned out by an awkward photo op,” Lankford said.
Sasse, who has at times criticized Trump but won his endorsement for reelection, said public officials nationwide “should be lowering the temperature” over protests and violence following the death in police custody of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in Minnesota. Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired and one has been charged with murder in Floyd’s death.
“Police injustice — like the evil murder of George Floyd — is repugnant and merits peaceful protest aimed at change,” Sasse said, adding that “riots are abhorrent acts of violence that hurt the innocent.” Both messages should be heard as Americans work to end violence and injustice, Sasse said. Late Tuesday, Trump addressed his GOP critics. “You got it wrong!” he tweeted. “If the protesters were so peaceful, why did they light the Church on fire the night before? People liked my walk to this historic place of worship!”
The comments by the GOP senators were among the strongest by Republicans following Trump’s demand Monday to end the heated protests and his vow to use military force to achieve that if necessary. Republicans have frequently muted any criticism of Trump, and only GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah voted in favor of Trump’s impeachment.