Barr still denies protesters were tear gassed for Trump's Bible photo op

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) used her time questioning Attorney General William Barr to take him to task on "semantics."

Barr appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday for questioning regarding the alleged politicization of the Justice Department under his watch. Jayapal, who represents Seattle, said that politicization has been clear in which protesters Barr has decided to police and which he's let stand: those protesting systemic racism and those protesting COVID-19 shutdowns, respectively.

When President Trump wanted to take a photo at St. John's Church near Washington, D.C.'s Lafayette Square in June, it was reportedly Barr who gave the order for law enforcement to clear out protesters with chemical agents and force. But when Jayapal brought that up Monday, Barr maintained, like he had more than a month before, that "no tear gas was used."

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Jayapal quickly called out Barr for the "semantic distinction" between tear gas and other chemical crowd control agents, and asked if any of those methods were appropriate to use at Lafayette Park. But Barr didn't give her a straightforward answer, and so Jayapal went on to question why Barr hadn't sent federal authorities after Michigan protesters who wanted Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) "lynched, shot, and beheaded." Barr said he wasn't aware that even happened.

Watch Jayapal's whole questioning below. Kathryn Krawczyk