Citing a piece on conservative cable network OANN President Donald Trump said he had watched, Trump Tuesday questioned a much-viewed video of Buffalo, N.Y., police pushing an elderly protestor to the ground, who is then seen bleeding out of his ear, suggesting the man "could" have been an Antifa provocateur. Trump has branded Antifa a terrorist group.
The video led to a public apology and condemnation by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and felony charges against the two policeman involved, though other officers resigned in protest over those charges.
The President fired off the following tweet Tuesday (June 9), the same day that a funeral was being held for George Floyd, whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police prompted protests, including in Buffalo where the incident occurred.
Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?June 9, 2020
The White House has said tweets are official statements by the President.
This one appeared to be based on this clip from OANN suggesting the protestor "appeared" to use common Antifa tactics:
Here's the first half of the batshit OANN segment Trump just tweeted. It alleges the 75 year old man assaulted by Buffalo police officers was an antifa operative, based on a report from Conservative Treehouse. pic.twitter.com/CeMVyJcoh8June 9, 2020
