Posted on 06/09/2020 7:24:38 PM PDT by MarvinStinson
Commentators reacted with shock and disgust to President Donald Trump’s conspiracy theory that a 75-year-old man who was attacked and hospitalized by police last week “could be an ANTIFA provocateur.”
Two Buffalo police officers were charged with felony assault for shoving longtime activist Martin Gugino to the ground outside City Hall, resulting in Gugino hitting his head and bleeding from his ear. Gugino remains hospitalized, in “serious but stable” condition, according to his lawyer.
Donald J. Trump
Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?
Gugino’s lawyer responded to Trump’s tweet, asking “why the President of the United States would make such dark, dangerous, and untrue accusations against him.”
Commentators and journalists from both the left and right soon reacted as well with disbelief.
Peter J. Hasson
If he were trying to lose in November, what would he be doing differently?
“There was blood leaking from his head. It is visible on the video. He is still in the hospital,” noted NBC News correspondent Heidi Przybyla, while CNN’s Chris Cillizza questioned, “A 75 year old dude? Who started bleeding from his ear?”
Chris Cillizza
President Trump’s old friend Piers Morgan also weighed in on the comment, tweeting, “Shame on you, Mr Trump,” as Fox News contributor and former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer declared, “The President’s penchant for trafficking in conspiracy theories is, politically speaking, going to ruin him. This is reckless. He doesn’t know when to stop.”
Piers Morgan
BREAKING: President of the United States spreads insane conspiracy theory nonsense to falsely smear 75-yr-old man brutalised by police & still in serious condition in hospital. Shame on you, Mr Trump.
Ari Fleischer
The President’s penchant for trafficking in conspiracy theories is, politically speaking, going to ruin him. This is reckless. He doesn’t know when to stop.
Erick Erickson
Please stop
Charles C. W. Cooke
He can’t stop. This is who he is. It isn’t schtick, or a tactic, or a political approach, or a mistake. This is who he is. It’s what he thinks, and how he thinks. He has for decades. Twitter shows us it, it doesn’t create it. https://twitter.com/EWErickson/status/1270345797578735618 …
Oliver Darcy
Drudge mocks Trump: "AARP-ANTIFA"
Jacob Siegel
Not taking the bait of Trump's tweets is generally good policy, but this is so despicable and sinister it merits an exception.
Joe Lockhart
Broken record playing again -- this man has serious mental health issues which we are ignoring as a country. This is well beyond playing partisan politics. He is living in a sick and twisted alternative universe. He's probably hearing voices at this point. But lets all ignore it
Bill Kristol
The president of the United States flat out defending police brutality--and not with the usual, "the police are under huge pressure, they've got to make split-second judgment calls" type of excuses, but with unabashed blaming-the-victim conspiracy theories.
Joshua Holland 🔥
If current trends persist, Republicans are going to nominate an actual tinfoil hat next time.
David Mack
this is beyond deranged
James Surowiecki
This is unbelievable in so many ways, including the fact that Trump for some reason thought it was smart to mention Gugino's age, just so we were all clear he's defending cops who shoved a 75-year-old to the sidewalk.
Lis Power
Here's the absolutely insane OAN report that Trump is referencing: "The latest tensions in the Buffalo police department could be the result of a false flag provocation by far left group antifa"
Ben Collins
The OAN conspiracy theory the president is livetweeting here was reported by an ex-Sputnik (Russian state media) reporter, who last month claimed coronavirus was a cover by George Soros, Bill Gates, Dr. Fauci, the Clintons and China for "population control."
David Frum
When this line of argument fails, Trump will retreat to his classic all-purpose excuse: "It was Obama who shoved the 75 year old man to the sidewalk and cracked his head."
As usual, Trump will be PROVEN right!
I think he's informed and briefed in advance the TRUTH of the situation and then creates situations that deliberately bait the media and anyone else fool enough to take the bait which allows Trump to later be proven right..
Give it a few days and it will be proven and announced that the man WAS Antifa and Trump, once again, initially was right..
I hope you are right.
“Across the spectrum...” is an interesting choice of words considering the rumor is he was using a tablet to control a police radio spectrum jamming system. Wonder if that’s a Freudian slip.
https://www.facebook.com/1791523212/videos/10213683414358250/
Boy, what a hit piece...how awful, they knocked down a cancer victim who was minding his own business!
The douche deserved a lot worse than he got.
Sorry could not see that - can you further explain or show it in a picture or were you just using a figure of speech?
Across the spectrum from NeverTrumpers to NeverEverTrumpers.
“could be”
Key phrase, and the imbeciles jump on it.
It SO easy.
As usual.. time will tell.
...and, updating thread...Trump was right...jury supported the cops.
Charges dropped for officers seen shoving 75-year-old Buffalo protester
https://abc30.com/charges-dropped-for-officers-seen-shoving-75-year-old-protester/10331408/
Thursday, February 11, 2021
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Criminal charges have been dropped against two police officers seen on video last spring shoving a 75-year-old protester to the ground in Buffalo, New York, prosecutors said Thursday.
A grand jury declined to indict Buffalo Officers Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski on felony assault charges, ending the matter, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said.
Messages seeking comment were left with lawyers representing the officers. One of them, Thomas Burton, has previously said that it was a “real stretch in our view to suggest that they intended to hurt this man.”
Flynn said prosecutors made a thorough presentation to the grand jury but, citing secrecy rules, said he couldn’t discuss what evidence was presented. The grand jury heard the case on a delayed basis because of coronavirus-related court closures, he said.
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