Citing a piece on conservative cable network OAN President Donald Trump said he had watched, Trump Tuesday questioned a much-viewed video of Buffalo, N.Y., police pushing an elderly protester 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.
[embed]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1270333484528214018[/embed]
The White House has said tweets are official statements by the President.
This one appeared to be based on this clip from OAN suggesting the protestor "appeared" to use common Antifa tactics:
[embed]https://twitter.com/i/status/1270335685514403840[/embed]
Gov. Cuomo called it a "reckless, irresponsible, mean, crude, reprehensible, dumb comment" and said if the President had an ounce of decency he would apologize.
"From numerous sources, OAN’s investigative team is aware of Mr. Gugino’s anti-police sentiment and statements," said OANN in a statement on its report. "As you may know, his social media accounts have been deleted, covering-up his anti-authority affirmations. Mr. Gugino refused to comply with the repeated requests of police officers. Additional detailed reporting of OAN’s findings will be airing today.”
