'It's NOT a baseless conspiracy theory!' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claims there IS backing to Donald Trump's tweet that 75-year-old pushed by cops was ANTIFA activist trying to scan their radios
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany is rejecting accusations that President Trump floated a 'baseless conspiracy theory' when he tweeted that a 75-year old cancer sufferer pushed by police may have been using his cell phone to obtain their radio signatures.
McEnany faced the assembled media Wednesday for the first time since Trump claimed on Twitter that the man, Martin Gugino, may have been part of a 'set up' and may even have deliberately manipulated his fall to the pavement in a way to mischaracterize police.
'It's not a baseless conspiracy – no not at all. I won't acknowledge that,' McEnany said, when pressed repeatedly about Trump's tweet.
'It's not a baseless conspiracy – no not at all. I won't acknowledge that,' said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, as she defended a tweet by President Trump that a 75-year-old man pushed by Buffalo police 'fell harder than was pushed' and it 'could be a set up'
'The president was asking questions about an interaction and a video clip that he saw and the president has the right to ask those,' she said, referencing video assembled by right win One America News that Trump referenced in the explosive tweet Tuesday.
'The president does not regret standing up for law enforcement men and women across this country,' she said.
She characterized Trump's tweet – which also raised the possibility without evidence that Gugino was involved with antifa – as part of the obligation of media members and others to ask questions and parse information.
'In this tweet that he sent out he was in no way condoning violence. He was not passing judgement on these two officers in particular. But what he was saying is this: When we see a brief snippet of a video, it's incumbent upon reporters and those who are surveying a situation to ask questions,' she said.
Pressed on whether Trump should assemble facts before firing off a tweet, McEnany protested: 'The president did have facts.'
She said the nation is going through a moment when people are 'reflexively anti-police officer.' Earlier, McEnany backed up Trump in comments to Fox News.
'The president does not condone violence. He wants to see the appropriate amount of force used in any given situation, including this one. But he believes that the officers have a right to be heard,' she said.
She was also pressed on practical aspects of his claim that Gugino may have 'fallen harder than pushed' by two police officers.
'How does that work in terms of physics?' McEnany was asked.
'The president raised several questions based on a report he saw. He has a right to ask those questions,' she responded. 'And where he stands is squarely with law enforcement.'
McEnany doubled down even as a few Republican senators distanced themselves from the comments and others avoided comment claiming they had not even seen Trump's tweet.
'The president was raising questions based on a report that he saw' when he retweeted a report claiming the man, Martin Gugino, might be an ANTIFA provocateur,' McEnany told a panel of interviewers on 'Fox and Friends' Wednesday morning.
Trump also claimed based on watching video in the report that Gugino 'fell harder than was pushed.' The man is now out of the ICU but still in hospital following the incident, according to his lawyer. He was already undergoing treatment for cancer.
'They're questions that need to be asked,' said McEnany. 'In every case we can't jump on one side without looking at all the facts at play.
'This individual had some very questionable tweets some profanity-laden tweets about police officers.'
'The president was raising questions based on a report that he saw,' White House press secretary Keyleigh McEnany said in an interview Wednesday where she defended President Trump's tweet about a 75-year-old man shoved to the ground by Buffalo police
'This individual had some very questionable tweets, some-profanity laden tweets about police officers,' McEnany said of Gugino, who was knocked to the ground by police officers in Buffalo
Martin Gugino, a longtime peace activist from Amherst, had been at a protest at Niagara Square near Buffalo City Hall when he was pushed. He hit his head on the ground causing it to bleed
'Of course no one condones any sort of violence,' McEnany said.
'We need the appropriate amount of force used in any interaction. But there are a lot of questions in that case. In fact, you had 56 police officers who resigned in protest of how their fellow officers were treated.'
She was referencing a tweet Gugino posted the day before he got pushed that said 'F*** the police.'
Her mention of 56 officers resigning was an apparent reference to all 57 members of the Buffalo Police Department's Emergency Response Team resigning from the squad last Friday in support of the two colleagues who were suspended over the incident and are now being prosecuted.
'The president was just raising some of those questions,' she added.
The president had said that he agreed with at least part of what was put forward by the broadcast a network he regularly touts. 'I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?' Trump asked.
The report he referenced was on the One America News Network. The pro-Trump outlet picked the story up from the Conservative Treehouse website, which made the claim based on slowed video footage that Gugino was seeking to scan frequency information from police officers with his phone.
The OANN correspondent identifies himself as Kristian Rouz, who has been revealed to simultaneously be working for Kremlin-backed Sputnik news. The Daily Beast previously reported that Rouz was born in Siberia, graduated from Novosibirsk State University, and moved to the U.S. in 2017.
The report Trump cited and McEnany justified claims that the incident 'could be the result of a false flag provocation by far left group Antifa.'
It cites information that appeared on the Conservative Treehouse blog which identifies Mr Gugino as a 'well-known activist.'
The report used close-up, slowed footage of the incident while voice-over touting possible connections to Antifa, a group Trump has said wants to label as domestic terrorist organization.
An elderly man was seen approaching Buffalo police officers in riot gear outside of City Hall on Thursday
McEnany doubled down on President Trump's tweet about the 75-year-old man pushed down by Buffalo police
McEnany defended the president during an appearance on 'Fox and Friends'
Her Fox interviewers showed no expression while McEnany defended the president's tweet.
Co-host Brian Kilmeade asked: 'Kayleigh what about the timing of it in the middle of the George Floyd ceremonies,' referencing the funeral Tuesday, the last of several events to commemorate the man who died during arrest by Minneapolis police. It got wall-to-wall television coverage amid the uproar over Trump's tweet.
'Look the president has acknowledged so many times and rightfully so the injustice with George Floyd,' she said. She continued that Trump was 'raising some questions – some legitimate ones – about that particular interaction, and it's his prerogative to do so.'
Kelly Zarcone, attorney for Mr Gugino told TMZ that President Trump is wrong to draw links between her client and the radical left group, adding that Mr Gugino had been seriously injured.
Zarcone said: 'Martin is out of ICU but still hospitalized and truly needs to rest. Martin has always been a peaceful protester because he cares about today's society.'
She added: '[Mr Gugino] is also a typical Western New Yorker who loves his family. No one from law enforcement has even suggested anything otherwise, so we are at a loss to understand why the President of the United States would make such dark, dangerous, and untrue accusations against him.
Gugino texted USA Today after being asked about Trump's tweet. 'No comment other than Black lives matter. Just out of the ICU. Should recover eventually. Thx,' he wrote.
Trump rival former Vice President Joe Biden pounced on the Trump tweet in more detail Tuesday.
'My Dad used to say there's no greater sin than the abuse of power. Whether it's an officer bloodying a peaceful protester or a President defending him with a conspiracy theory he saw on TV. I'm a Catholic – just like Martin,' Biden said.
'Our faith says that we can't accept either,' he added.
Aaron Torgalski (left) and Robert McCabe (right) pictured in their mugs. They were each charged with one count of assault in the second degree in a court hearing Saturday morning over the shocking incident that left peaceful protester Martin Gugino in a 'serious condition' in hospital
Clinton retweeted a post referencing some backstory to the conspiracy theory
Kristian Rouz, who was previously revealed to have been working for Kremlin-backed Sputnik, produced the segment that Trump retweeted
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ripped the president Tuesday for issuing a 'reckless, irresponsible, mean, crude if there was ever a reprehensible, dumb comment.'
'And from the president of the United States at this moment of anguish and anger. He pours gasoline on the fire. If there was ever, if he ever feels a moment of decency, he should apologize fr that tweet,' Cuomo added.
Prominent Republican senators turned down the chance to criticize the president when asked about his tweet. 'I didn't see it. You're telling me about it. I don't read Twitter. I only write on it, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told CNN. Added Texas Sen. John Cornyn: 'You know, a lot of this stuff just goes over my head.'
Former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona did weigh in. 'This was a 75 year-old-man shoved to the ground, left bleeding from a head wound. Trafficking in conspiracy theories like these is beneath your office, Mr President,' Flake wrote.
'Most of us up here would rather not be political commentators on the president's tweets,' said South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune, a Senate party leader.
Thune added: 'It's a serious accusation, which should only be made with facts and evidence. And I haven´t seen any yet.'
Utah Republican Mitt Romney, who is now a persistent Trump critic, said he had seen it and called it 'shocking' and added: 'I won't dignify it with any further comment.'
Asked about the tweet, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) responded: 'Oh lord.'
'It's NOT a baseless conspiracy theory!' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claims there IS backing to Donald Trump's tweet that 75-year-old pushed by cops was ANTIFA activist trying to scan their radios
!['It's NOT a baseless conspiracy theory!' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claims there IS backing to Donald Trump's tweet that 75-year-old pushed by cops was ANTIFA activist trying to scan their radios]()
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June 11, 2020
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