Barr attempts to distance himself from removal of peaceful protesters before Trump photo-op

CNN — Attorney General William Barr on Friday tried to distance himself from law enforcement’s violent confrontation and removal of peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square earlier this week, saying he did not give the final order to clear the demonstration even as the White House has placed the decision on Barr’s shoulders amid ongoing fallout. Barr’s order CNN previously reported that Barr ordered authorities Monday evening to clear a crowd of protesters that had gathered near the White House, according to a Justice Department official, minutes ahead of Trump’s televised address from the Rose Garden. Trump walked over to the church shortly after 7 p.m. Barr defended use of force On Thursday, Barr defended the use of force to clear the protesters, maintaining in his first public remarks on the Lafayette Square episode that his decision to disperse protesters followed signs that the crowd was “becoming increasingly unruly.” The removal, he said, had nothing to do with a photo-op staged by Trump minutes later. Barr said in his news conference that officials had decided on Monday morning that they would expand a protective barrier around the White House north by one block to create “more of a buffer,” and at 2 p.m. that day, the attorney general said, he met with officials to set a tactical plan to move the perimeter.