Judge clears Trump, Barr in Lafayette Park case

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a series of lawsuits against President Donald Trump and other officials related to a visit to a Washington church last June. The case alleged a conspiracy between Trump and then–Attorney General William Barr to clear protesters out of Lafayette Square, a park on Pennsylvania Avenue, before the president walked through it on his way to St. John’s Episcopal Church. The ruling follows an inspector general report released on June 10 that confirmed pre-existing plans to clear the park for a fence installation.

What do we know now? The report said police were already under orders to clear a section of Lafayette Square so contractors could install new fencing. The contractors had already started by the time Trump was on his way. Judge Dabney Friedrich wrote in the opinion that the plaintiffs could not cite specific injuries committed by specific individuals. Friedrich did allow protesters to continue their undue force lawsuits against the Arlington County and Metropolitan police departments based on claims officers fired smoke bombs and pepper balls at them. On his personal website, Trump thanked the inspector general for “completely and totally exonerating” him in the park incident.

Dig deeper: Read Sophia Lee’s look at a year of riots and protests in the Pacific Northwest.