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."