Republican Senator Speaks Out About President’s Visit to St. John’s Church

In the midst of a pandemic, and during perhaps the largest mass demonstration in American history, an incredible and unprecedented scene played out before our eyes.

Across the street from the White House, protesters were scattered by police, some mounted on horseback, using tear gas and stun grenades.  Then, armed with only a Bible and some of his closest advisers, President Trump walked through the area where the crowd had been and was photographed in front of the historic St. John’s Church, which had almost been lost the night before to late night agitators who attempted to set it ablaze.

Today, one Republican Senator spoke out about the moment.

Nebraska Republican senator Ben Sasse issued a statement on Tuesday morning criticizing President Trump’s visit to St. John’s Church Monday night as a “photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop.”

“There is no right to riot, no right to destroy others’ property, and no right to throw rocks at police. But there is a fundamental — a Constitutional — right to protest, and I’m against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop,” Sasse said. “Every public servant in America should be lowering the temperature and that means saying two basic truths over and over: (1) police injustice — like the evil murder of George Floyd — is repugnant and merits peaceful protest aimed at change; (2) riots are abhorrent acts of violence that hurt the innocent. Say both things loudly and repeatedly, as Americans work to end the violence and injustice.”

The moment came just minutes after the President delivered a fiery speech in the Rose Garden in which he implored state Governors to call in the National Guard to quell the violence that has become a staple of extremists who have taken over these protests after dark.