Trump administration is using unidentified law enforcement

This is wrong and dangerous.

This is an important piece on the suddenly widespread decision in Washington DC to make it difficult to distinguish between armed men who have legal authority and armed men who don’t https://t.co/HymGtgveLU pic.twitter.com/Fz9swqGput
— dan solomon (@dansolomon) June 3, 2020

They've been bringing in Bureau of Prisons riot police.

BTW, BOP handles a post-adjudication population of people according to the 8th Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Totally inappropriate for use against law-abiding people exercising 1st Amendment. https://t.co/DlvHX4g48u
— Mieke Eoyang (@MiekeEoyang) June 3, 2020

Using *Bureau of Prisons* riot teams to tamp down on protests on the unfair treatment of black people by law enforcement.

Quite a statement about what Barr thinks of black protesters and their allies. https://t.co/MrOfEdRmmG
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) June 3, 2020

A dangerous new factor in an uneasy moment: Unidentified law enforcement officers https://t.co/04p2MwA2vH
— Post Politics (@postpolitics) June 3, 2020

DOJ to Ferguson Police Dept 2014:

“Officers wearing name plates while in uniform is a basic component of transparency and accountability. It is a near-universal requirement of sound policing practices and requires under some state laws.” 1/x https://t.co/uuf8QtCWv0
— Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) June 4, 2020

Law enforcement deployed in/to DC we’ve seen/reported:

US Secret Service
US Park Police
Arlington PD (gone)
DC Nat’l Guard + other states
Bureau of Prisons
FBI
DEA
DHS
ICE
CBP
TSA
US Marshals
Pentagon Force Protection
Ft Bragg/Fort Drum active duty troops
MPD

Miss anyone?
— Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) June 4, 2020

More police attacks on journalists

I compiled a list of 160 incidents where journalists were hurt, arrested, wrongly restricted or targeted by police while covering protests across the U.S. this week. There are some instances of attacks by civilians, but the majority are by police.https://t.co/sgS0fecWiv
— Scott Nover (@ScottNover) June 2, 2020

In Minneapolis, cops pulled a WashPost reporter over in a traffic stop for knocking on the door of the police union's leader. https://t.co/8ZivMOIK4z
— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) June 4, 2020

"Get the fuck out of here you piece of shit," NYPD officers to clearly identified @AP reporters, as they shove media and force them to stop covering NYC protests. https://t.co/kHBcrq9fbg
— Ali Watkins (@AliWatkins) June 3, 2020

An officer, using an expletive, orders them to go home. After explaining that press are considered “essential workers” and are allowed on the streets, an officer responds “I don’t give a s—-.” Another yells “get the f—- out of here you piece of s—-.” https://t.co/zD4ScjQeML
— darlene superville (@dsupervilleap) June 3, 2020

After cops tackled & arrested me, & after I identified myself as a journalist, they refused to give me my phone, leaving it on the street.

Later that night another journalist found my phone. Turned out it was recording while cops pressed my head into the concrete & cursed at me https://t.co/Qs185nMXyh
— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) June 3, 2020

Journalists at George Floyd Protests Are Facing Attacks – By @katiecouric, featuring a Q&A with CPJ Advocacy Director @courtneyr https://t.co/yXA2afWsFp
— Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) June 4, 2020

Well that can't be right. A couple of esteemed media critics told me the police did nothing wrong and Trump's photo op was perfect. https://t.co/Ca51kNEZA5
— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) June 4, 2020

You can clearly hear @aeringle say, “I’M PRESS.” One beat, and then the cop douses them in tear gas. He then yells, “I’M PRESS!” Sprayed AGAIN.

The deliberate attack on media by the police is terrifying—and a direct result of Trump’s autocratic rhetoric.pic.twitter.com/HBzUG2mqTD
— Jesse Damiani (@JesseDamiani) June 22, 2020

Trump says Roger Stone won’t go to jail

Trump has no respect for the law.

Clearly this is the reassurance that a nation at the breaking point needed to wake up to this morning: Trump is going to override the criminal justice system to take care of Roger Stone. That should satisfy the throngs chanting no justice, no peace. https://t.co/oo5aMcKul9
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) June 4, 2020

President Donald Trump promises his longtime political adviser Roger Stone will not serve time in prison https://t.co/TJxbIUJkWP
— POLITICO (@politico) June 4, 2020

Trump strongly hints at pardon of political adviser Roger Stone, saying he should "sleep well at night" https://t.co/wHyqx93xiW
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 4, 2020

Amazingly, Trump tweeted "LAW & ORDER!" literally minutes after corruptly dangling a pardon for Roger Stone. This makes an utter mockery of rule of law. In so doing, Trump neatly confirmed that James Mattis' blistering criticism is 100% right. New piece:https://t.co/ne5I8td1ZN
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) June 4, 2020

Trump calls a bishop “the opposition party”

He exploited them and got mad that they didn’t like it. Trump is a disgrace.

watch over or gas *again*? Today, Trump called the Episcopal Bishop for DC the "opposition party." Now his little green men are surrounding one of her churches awaiting her vigil. https://t.co/y2JjiD3UZZ
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 3, 2020

This feels like an attempt to intimidate the Bishop and the priest who criticized Trump after he desecrated their church. https://t.co/CEARzOvaHv
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 3, 2020

Ahead of Trump's Bible photo op, police forcibly expelled a priest from St. John's church near the White House. https://t.co/8tnsPpvANv
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 3, 2020

Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde criticized President Donald Trump for making an appearance in front of the historic St. John's Episcopal Church on Monday, calling Mr. Trump's photo-op a "symbolic misuse of the most sacred texts of our tradition." https://t.co/kbaBDiV8px pic.twitter.com/M1N4DI51Vx
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 2, 2020

McEnany compares President Trump's photo op at St. John's Church to Winston Churchill touring bombing damage in World War II and President George W. Bush throwing the first pitch at a World Series game after 9/11 https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/rDuNejzxI0
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 3, 2020

Ridiculous!

“Trump, who rarely goes to church and has attended services at St. John’s only a handful of times since he became president in 2017, used the church as a backdrop for a photo op that critics say defies the faith he claims,” @ToluseO & @spulliam write https://t.co/umS1GAB0Uz
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) June 3, 2020

Another fake Trump video

Whoa: The White House is circulating a video which it claims shows a cache of antifa bricks, but the image is actually just a year-old security barrier set up by the Chabad Jewish center in Sherman Oaks to prevent anti-Semitic car ramming attacks. https://t.co/hTjTErAHXm
— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) June 3, 2020

This White House video includes footage of palettes of bricks in places like Sherman Oaks, New York, and Fayetteville that were absolutely not "staged." In one case, they show barricades that were erected a year ago to protect a Jewish community center: https://t.co/zLbn7jCvn7 https://t.co/WhbELCOAN7
— Craig Silverman (@CraigSilverman) June 3, 2020

NEW: Websites and social media users are sharing footage of bricks around the country to suggest that "riots were planned, orchestrated events." That's Mostly False. https://t.co/Ktgv9s7C8e pic.twitter.com/l0XtvNOUU1
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) June 3, 2020

“The White House deleted the tweet, without explanation or apology, after journalists including Tablet Magazine's Yair Rosenberg and CNN's Gabe Ramirez — who lives in the neighborhood — pointed out that it showed a synagogue security barrier.” https://t.co/oVsvCHQIXj
— Erika R. Bales (emotionally distant since 1980) (@Bales4Judge) June 4, 2020

Great alteration of the picture of Trump with a Bible

who made this pic.twitter.com/oIvt4bk15y
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) June 2, 2020

There are other good ones in the comments

More on Flynn

Judge defends authority to review Michael Flynn's case despite the Department of Justice's request to dismiss it https://t.co/VGS9yPjlQB pic.twitter.com/S5XnxK8CDy
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 2, 2020

Kislyak “played Flynn like a fiddle…For a former head of an intelligence agency Mr. Flynn showed a stunning lack of counterintelligence savvy or sophistication in dealing with an adversary.” https://t.co/w026S4aA6p
— John Sipher (@john_sipher) June 2, 2020

Not a single passage in these transcripts where Flynn says it was wrong for Russia to interfere. Wrong to hack into DNC. Wrong to sow hatred, division on Facebook, etc.

Russia had just attacked the US. Russia was the enemy. And new NSA is fixed on how much we have in common. pic.twitter.com/fSmwFUJk6w
— Greg Miller (@gregpmiller) May 29, 2020

Re: Flynn-Kislyak convo

Having now read the transcript & taking it in context of what was happening, it is obvious to me & anyone who has engaged w the Russians that the conversation was NOT in the US interest.

Flynn’s actions were despicable. Under stable why he lied to FBI. https://t.co/fwXBGUd9TA
— Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) May 29, 2020

With all the news about the Flynn transcripts, remember that at this point the only real issue is this: given what the FBI already knew about Russian efforts to help Trump win, did the calls give them any reason to talk to Flynn? The answer was – and is – clearly yes.
— Randall Eliason (@RDEliason) May 29, 2020

The just-released Flynn-Kislyak transcripts show Trump's incoming national sec. adviser speaking repeatedly to the Russian ambassador, buddying up to him, & NOT ONCE saying anything about Putin's attack on the 2016 election. A stunning betrayal of the USA.https://t.co/ArXBuRqGGd
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) May 29, 2020

The Flynn transcript shows the incoming Trump administration colluding with Russia against the U.S. government https://t.co/13xIhul7rp
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) May 29, 2020

These transcripts CONFIRM pretty much everything Mueller accused Flynn of doing, and they DEBUNK much of what Trump has said about Flynn. The transcripts corroborate Flynn's guilty plea and further prove that he lied to the FBI about his Russian calls. https://t.co/amOEtAPrDR
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) May 29, 2020

Here’s what the Flynn transcripts show:

Gen. Flynn secretly discussed the U.S. response to Russia’s brazen election interference, and lied about it to the FBI and Vice President.

No wonder Trump and his allies are trying to re-write history,

Because the facts are so damning. pic.twitter.com/eNZMFlDSSa
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) May 29, 2020

And here’s what Flynn said to the FBI. It’s clear beyond any reasonable doubt that he lied, even apart from the fact that he admitted twice in court that he lied. https://t.co/SOJGReP5aR pic.twitter.com/XSuag5x0dQ
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) May 29, 2020

Also, the 302 shows the agents gave Flynn multiple opportunities to come clean, asking specific questions like whether he discussed reciprocity with Kislyak. Flynn could have said, oh, wait, now I remember. Flynn was determined to lie, and as you say, the nagging question is—why? https://t.co/LU8gNRF6pt
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) May 29, 2020

More on attacks against journalists

I blame Trump because of his enemy of the people crap.

The targeting of journalists by police is meant to prevent them from bearing witness to the abuse of everyday citizens. https://t.co/EO3INKYdd6
— Mara Gay (@MaraGay) June 3, 2020

Woke up this morning to more instances of police unacceptably targeting and using force against journalists in the US over the last week. The list is far too long & this is unacceptable — especially in the United States of America.
Time for a thread. This is just a sampling:
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) June 3, 2020

Journalists are being assaulted, tear gassed, detained, and arrested.

On American soil.

Black reporters are even more at risk.

A free press is essential to any democracy, and reporters need to do their jobs safely.

The press are not the enemy – unless you fear the truth. https://t.co/EOfh6850A5
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) June 2, 2020

I was arrested during the protest against police brutality in Asbury Park earlier tonight. I was just released from the Belmar PD headquarters with a summons for failing to obey an order to disperse.
— Gustavo Martinez (@newsguz) June 2, 2020

I have no memory of the attack last night in Little Rock, but there was a small group among the rioters who clearly didn’t want me there. Suffered a broken nose, but no other fractures. All journos, seriously, be careful. I got too close and paid for it w/ a 5-hour hospital stay pic.twitter.com/Dju2BfdsZ6
— Tony Holt (@HoltDemGazette) June 2, 2020

My co-worker and close friend Dennis Nett was knocked down by a police officer on Saturday. I'm glad that Dennis is OK. I know 2 things:
1. He is hating being part of the story.
2. He is most upset over having 2 camera lenses broken. https://t.co/l1Lscmqf8i
— Mike Waters (@MikeWatersSYR) June 1, 2020

125 press freedom violations.
At least 20 arrests.

This is America. https://t.co/s4Vm7gMgHR
— Nina Jankowicz (@wiczipedia) June 2, 2020

"The terror of wearing both a press badge and black skin": Black journalists are carrying unique burdens https://t.co/CXFwsHq183
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 2, 2020

Our pool of reporters and cameramen was just made to choke on the remnants of tear gas, while being manhandled and screamed at by WH staffers — without knowing where they were going or why. An extremely volatile situation.

We thank them for their performance under pressure.
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) June 1, 2020

Thread by a Philadelphia reporter who followed a group of bat-wielding racist-spewing white men.

The cops ignored the men.

And then the men beat the shit out of the reporter.

Read the whole thread. https://t.co/VR2kFBjCMA
— Eric Umansky (@ericuman) June 2, 2020

And here’s the video – police repeatedly pushing and hitting an Australian camera crew at 6:30 as they cleared out the area around the White House. https://t.co/YNotvJ3LH6
— Ben Siegel (@benyc) June 1, 2020

We’ve not seen attacks on the media on this scale in modern US history. Governors, mayors and police chiefs need to rein in cops and send a loud public message in defense of reporters. https://t.co/LOw9EUtKGa
— Robert Mahoney (@RobertMMahoney) June 1, 2020

Facebook lets Trump say anything

They are helping him by allowing him to lie and stoke hatred in his cult members. I hardly use it now because of this. At least some of their employees are showing their disapproval.

I'm not sure who elected Mark Zuckerberg as minister of information, but I plan to vote him out of office next chance that I get.https://t.co/0GYMwb5bmn
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) June 2, 2020

Woof. intense qutestion from FB employee:

"“Why are the smartest people in the world focused on contorting and twisting our policies to avoid antagonizing trump?”https://t.co/ZSpKcyDOji
— rat king (@MikeIsaac) June 2, 2020

Facebook is the primary source of news for a lot of Americans still deciding who to vote for in November https://t.co/O4FkytVvEl
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) June 2, 2020

Very powerful resignation letter from a Facebook engineer who worked on misinformation tools.

"Mark always told us that he would draw the line at speech that calls for violence. He showed us on Friday that this was a lie." pic.twitter.com/IfyhdHsprs
— Julia Carrie Wong (@juliacarriew) June 2, 2020

Civil-rights leaders were left “stunned” after trying to explain racism in a Monday meeting with Mark Zuckerberg https://t.co/voVBWRlYAB
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) June 2, 2020

🔥@Facebook employees are staging a walkout today for the 1st time in the company's history, and some have threatened to QUIT, in protest of Mark Zuckerberg's decision to allow @realDonaldTrump's racist post that incites violence to stand.#DeleteFacebook https://t.co/CybUhwVzJm
— Dr. Dena Grayson (@DrDenaGrayson) June 1, 2020

Civil rights leaders went into a call with Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg tonight with low expectations. They were not disappointed. Mark didn't comprehend/accept history of voter suppression and that Trump's tweets could stoke violence against demonstrators. More to come
— CeciliaKang (@ceciliakang) June 2, 2020

Sources tell me that Facebook employees are changing their internal employee-Facebook profile images to the Twitter logo in protest https://t.co/Bk7XlTw4uq
— Kate Klonick (@Klonick) June 1, 2020

🔥@Facebook employees are staging a walkout today for the 1st time in the company's history, and some have threatened to QUIT, in protest of Mark Zuckerberg's decision to allow @realDonaldTrump's racist post that incites violence to stand.#DeleteFacebook https://t.co/CybUhwVzJm
— Dr. Dena Grayson (@DrDenaGrayson) June 1, 2020

Wow.

Before announcing that Trump's post suggesting "looters" should be gunned down would be allowed to remain on Facebook, despite the company's clear ban on content advocating violence ZUCKERBERG PERSONALLY CALLED TRUMP and had a "productive" call https://t.co/x7bSakTLkf
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) May 31, 2020

The Trump campaign has spent lots of money on ads on Facebook.

During a company-wide town hall, Zuckerberg struggled to explain his decision-making process as many of his employees reminded him of promises he'd made before Congress to remove content that calls for violence or that could lead to imminent physical harm https://t.co/FlGoNruZWI
— CNN (@CNN) June 2, 2020

Zuckerberg’s position exempting politicians from #Facebook standards is as incoherent as it is destructive. He won’t prevent pols from using FB to incite violence & he won’t let FB be an “arbiter of truth” even to fact-check pols’ most brazen&harmful lies. https://t.co/J10KlffB1l
— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) May 30, 2020

Not physically being in the office hasn't prevented some workers from "walking out."

Some at Facebook staged a virtual walkout Monday over CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision not to take action on a series of controversial posts from President Trump last week. https://t.co/Z4gJdheDbN
— CNN (@CNN) June 2, 2020

Most Republican senators support Trump’s terrible actions and words

Some don’t even have the guts to offer an opinion.

Analysis | No surprise here: Republican senators largely stand by Trump after his church photo op https://t.co/GGrPqCA7TE
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 2, 2020

Kasie Hunt asks Republican senators what they thought of the President having peaceful protestors gassed and dispersed for a photo op pic.twitter.com/MGy60CFvLV
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) June 2, 2020

Pathetic

Top GOP senators defending move to clear out peaceful protestors near WH for Trump church photo-op, with Cornyn disputing the notion they were being peaceful bc "they refused to move.” “So obviously, it was a necessary security measure.” https://t.co/p3kqcphG1o
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 2, 2020

At least 2 Republicans in Congress — Senators Ben Sasse and Tim Scott — are criticizing President Trump's response to protests after peaceful demonstrators were gassed in front of the White House so he could pose for a photograph with a Bible https://t.co/h152ev6N0E
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 2, 2020

Rebukes aren't strong. Actions are strong. Until Susan Collins *does something* to stop this, she's just as complicit as Trump himself. https://t.co/CEZOJmaDct
— Max Burns (@themaxburns) June 2, 2020

“I'm not going to critique other people's performances.”https://t.co/kFsmqf3kev
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) June 2, 2020

What an eff-you to America. Thanks, GOP. It was clear you didn't have the guts to challenge Trump. But you can't even talk about this crisis. A badge of shame. https://t.co/MJzOFTKuaq
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) June 2, 2020