IG Report: Police Did Not Clear Lafayette Park For Trump - NPR

National Guard soldiers protect a park during protests near the White House on June 1, 2020.

National Guard soldiers protect a park during protests near the White House on June 1, 2020.

Park Police did not clear protesters from a park outside the White House so then-President Donald Trump could take a photo-op at a nearby church, an Interior Department inspector general's report found.

John's Church after walking across Lafayette Park from the White House on June 1, 2020.

John's Church after walking across Lafayette Park from the White House on June 1, 2020.

The Park Police operations commander said "the Attorney General did not mention a potential presidential visit to the park," according to the report.

"The USPP operations commander said the Attorney General asked him, 'Are these people still going to be here when POTUS [President of the United States] comes out?' The USPP operations commander told us he had not known until then that the President would be coming out of the White House and into Lafayette Park

"He said he replied to the Attorney General, 'Are you freaking kidding me?' and then hung his head and walked away."

John's Church on June 1, 2020, along with members of his administration, Attorney General William Barr (far left), White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien (second from left) and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany

The incident commander said the Park Police wanted to clear the area "to erect the fence and de-escalate the situation

The inspector general noted in his report that he did not seek to interview Barr because his report focused on Park Police conduct

In June 2020, Barr said at a news conference that the decision to clear the park was made before he was aware of Trump's plans