By Steve Neavling
The Justice Department’s watchdog admonished Attorney General William Barr for a “chaotic and disorganized” handling of the protests following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, though it concluded he did not order the forced removal of protesters from a park near the White House.
According to the Office of Inspector General report, Barr “pressed DOJ law enforcement components to deploy personnel without sufficient attention to whether those personnel were properly trained or equipped for their mission.”
The reported added, “We were troubled by the Department leadership’s decision-making that required DOJ law enforcement agents and elite tactical units to perform missions for which they lacked the proper equipment and training. Multiple witnesses also told us that leadership did not timely and effectively communicate these deployment decisions to subordinates and non-DOJ agencies involved in the response.”
The review also examines the FBI’s deployment of personnel between June 1 and June 3, following violent protests near the White House and a fire at St. John’s Church, which prompted former President Trump to temporarily take shelter in the White House bunker on May 29.
According to the report, the deployment “lacked adequate planning, failed to provide sufficient guidance to personnel regarding their mission and legal authorities, and, by sending armed agents to respond to civil unrest for which they lacked the proper training or equipment, created safety and security risks for the agents and the public.”
“While we recognize that the civil unrest following George Floyd’s murder was a highly unusual situation that presented significant challenges the Department does not typically face, ensuring the safety of its personnel and the public should remain its utmost priority,” the report further said. “In the midst of a crisis, during pressure-filled moments when leadership must make hard decisions with little time to fully assess collateral and unintended consequences, the time-tested law enforcement practices and procedures that were collectively developed, after careful and calm deliberation, can and should be the first and most trusted resource for Department leadership.”
Barr did not agree to be interviewed for the IG report.
