Trump tweets conspiracy theory about Buffalo protester shoved by police

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion with law enforcement officials, Monday, June 8, 2020, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion with law enforcement officials, Monday, June 8, 2020, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Published Jun 9, 2020

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New York - US President Donald Trump on

Tuesday tweeted a conspiracy theory about a 75-year-old

protester in Buffalo who was shoved by police and critically

injured during a march sparked by the death of George Floyd in

police custody.

Citing a report by pro-Trump channel One America News

Network, Trump wrote that the protestor, Martin Gugino, could be

a member of the anti-fascist movement antifa, which the

president and other Republicans have blamed for violence at the

protests.

Trump offered no evidence of links between Gugino and the

movement.

"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?" Trump tweeted.

%%%twitter https://twitter.com/OANN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OANNI watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

His post appeared just hours before the funeral in Houston

of Floyd, an African American who died on May 25 after a white

police officer in Minneapolis pinned him with a knee to the neck

for nearly nine minutes.

Two Buffalo police officers have been arraigned on felony

assault charges after a viral video showed one of them shoving

Gugino and the other walking past his still body after he fell

to the sidewalk. As Gugino tumbles, his head strikes the

pavement and trickles blood, according to the video.

Erie County District Attorney Erie County District Attorney

John Flynn, who is prosecuting the officers, declined to comment

on Trump's tweet about Gugino, who remains hospitalized.

Lawyers for the two officers as well as Gugino did not

immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

But New York Governor Andrew Cuomo jumped into the fray,

saying he was "disgusted" by Trump's tweet and urged the

president to apologize.

"He accused this man of being associated with antifa - no

proof whatsoever. No facts, just an assertion," Cuomo said at

his daily news briefing. "I mean, if there was ever a

reprehensible, dumb comment, and from the president of the

United States," said Cuomo, a Democrat.

"At this moment of anguish and anger what does he do? Pours

gasoline on the fire....He should apologize for that tweet." 

Reuters

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