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.”
Protesters were cleared out about 30 to 45 minutes before the city’s curfew took effect.