Record of the Press · 2012–Present
Released to the public · 31 OCT 2026File TBL-0039
DEBUNKED

Lafayette Square Cleared 'for a Photo Op'

01 JUN 2020 · NPR, Many national outlets
Screenshot of the page as published at npr.org
EXHIBIT A — Page capture from npr.org. Click to open the source.

■ The claim

Outlets reported that police tear-gassed peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square to clear the way for President Trump's walk to St. John's Church and his Bible photo op. NPR's headline stated the clearing was done to clear the way for the photo op.

■ What actually happened

The Interior Department Inspector General found the evidence did not support a finding that Park Police cleared the park so the president could walk to the church. Instead, the operation was planned so a contractor could safely install anti-scale fencing after two days of property damage and dozens of injured officers, and Park Police learned of the president's possible movement only in mid-to-late afternoon, after planning had begun. The report did not assess individual uses of force, did not interview the attorney general or White House officials, and found CS gas was used on 17th Street (not by Park Police), so the 'tear gas' element was not disproven, only the photo-op motive.

■ The proof

Interior Department OIG, Review of U.S. Park Police Actions at Lafayette Park (June 2021), Results in Brief.

■ Original reporting

■ Corrections, findings & records

■ Wayback Machine copies

Stories sometimes get edited after publication. These links open the Internet Archive's earliest snapshot of each original.

■ Grade

DEBUNKED: Shown false by evidence or official findings, whether or not the outlet corrected it. How we grade →