White House says police didn’t use tear gas and rubber bullets
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In the days since protesters were driven out of Lafayette Square coughing and limping, their eyes burning amid clouds of smoke, the Trump administration has insisted federal authorities did not use tear gas on the crowd.
“No tear gas was used, and no rubber bullets were used,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Wednesday, echoing similar claims from the U.S. Park Police and the president’s allies.
McEnany was correct, but only to the extent that police did not use products labeled “tear gas” and “rubber bullets.”
The Park Police acknowledged firing “pepper balls,” a projectile munition that lofts irritant powder into the air, and “smoke canisters” to scatter the crowd Monday.
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