'Truly Despicable': Critics Pounce After Trump Tweets Conspiracy Theories About 75-Year-Old Victim of Police Brutality Martin Gugino
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"Trump blames victim of police brutality for police brutality."
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Police officers in Buffalo, New York walk by the motionless body of 75-year-old Martin Gugino as he bleeds from his ear after being attack attacked by officers during a protest on June 5, 2020. (Photo: Screengrab/WBFO)
President Donald Trump came under fire Tuesday morning after tweeting out a conspiracy theory charging that 75-year-old Martin Gugino, who was assaulted by Buffalo police last week, resulted in his continued hospitalization, was a member of an ill-defined left-wing group and suggested he faked his injuries.
"Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur," the president tweeted, adding that Gugino—who immediately began bleeding from his ear after being violently shoved by officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe—"fell harder than was pushed."
Truly despicable tweet. twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
"Wow, Donald Trump in effect stomps on a 75-year-old peace activist who was pushed by police, fell over backward to the ground, and started bleeding from the head," tweeted journalist Steve Greenhouse in reply. "Wow, what an amazingly un-compassionate president we have."
Gugino remains in the hospital in serious but stable condition. As Common Dreams reported last week, the assault on the longtime, well known Buffalo activist was caught on camera and resulted in the suspension and charging of Torgalski and McCabe. The remaining 57 members of the Emergency Response Team then resigned from their positions on the unit in solidarity with the two officers.
"Trump blames victim of police brutality for police brutality," said journalist Windsor Mann.
The president's endorsement of a conspiracy theory around Gugino's injuries appears to use arguments from a segment on far-right news channel One America News Network, itself citing a blog called Conservative Treehouse.
Here's the first half of the batshit OANN segment Trump just tweeted. It alleges the 75 year old man assaulted by Buffalo police officers was an antifa operative, based on a report from Conservative Treehouse.
Here's the rest of it, which says that media are "fan[ning] the flames of national unrest" by promoting this "far-left provocation" to hurt Trump and help China.
Critics of the president took issue instantly with the baseless allegations against Gugino and Trump's excuse for the violence.
"Takes a lot for a Trump tweet to be genuinely shocking at this point," tweeted The Hill's Niall Stanage. "And yet, here we are."
There was blood leaking from his head.
It is visible on the video.
He is still in the hospital. twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
It is visible on the video.
He is still in the hospital. twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
Congrats to all the Republican senators who today will be asked if they believe that a 75 year old Catholic volunteer is an "ANTIFA provocateur" who "set up" the incident that put him in the hospital. twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
Remember when Trump had to clutch Theresa May's hand for dear life when facing a menacing incline of about 3 inches twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
"Not much going on here," said Intercept senior editor Peter Maas, "just a racist far-right conspiracy-theorist who's president of the U.S. and about 40 percent of the electorate are going to vote for him in November."
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posted by Satish Sharma at
19:01
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