Lafayette Square

Federal Officials Can't Be Sued For Clearing Protesters Near White House, Judge Says

12:31pm June 22, 2021

by Scott Neuman

A District Court judge has dismissed claims that former White House officials conspired to forcibly remove peaceful protesters last year from Washington, D.C.'s Lafayette Square.

Military police hold a line near the White House as demonstrators gather to protest police brutality on June 1, 2020 in Washington, D.C.

National

Military Police Leaders Weighed Deploying 'Heat Ray' Against D.C. Protesters

7:55pm September 16, 2020

by Dina Temple-Raston

Hours before federal police cleared peaceful protesters near the White House on June 1, a whistleblower got an email asking to find a device that would make protesters' skin feel like it was burning.

Police officers stand guard with the statue of Andrew Jackson after protesters tried to topple it at Lafayette Square in front of the White House on Monday night. Police responded with pepper spray to break up the demonstration.

National

Jackson Statue Near White House Still Standing After Protesters Try To Topple It

9:40am June 23, 2020

by Mark Katkov

The statue of the seventh president mounted on a rearing horse sits on a tall pedestal in Lafayette Square. Police fired chemical agents to clear the square of protesters.

President Trump walking from the White House to St. John's Church on June 1. Gen. Mark Milley (far right), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was among those walking behind the president. Milley says his presence was "a mistake" that he has learned fr

National

When Political Partisanship And The Military Collide

8:40am June 17, 2020

by Tom Bowman

Gen. Mark Milley's recent apology for walking with President Trump to his church photo-op has prompted discussion about how the military maintains nonpartisanship under a Trump administration.

Gen. Mark Milley (right) appears with President Trump as he departs the White House en route to St. John's Church on June 1. Milley now says his presence "created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics."

Gen. Mark Milley Says Accompanying Trump To Church Photo-Op Was A Mistake

7:56pm June 11, 2020

by David Welna

After being chided by retired peers for following President Trump in a walk through a park forcibly cleared of protesters, the nation's top military officer now says he should not have been there.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, here at a Pentagon press conference in March, says he does not support invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act to deal with the current unrest in the nation.

Pentagon Chief Rejects Trump's Threat To Use Military To Quell Unrest

7:41pm June 03, 2020

by David Welna

In a public break with President Trump, Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he does not support invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act and deploying troops to American streets.