Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page rips 'monstrous' Trump: I sent a 'few mean texts,' he 'assaulted' protesters
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Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page suggested on Tuesday that the president participated in a "coup" by allegedly assaulting peaceful protesters for a "photo op" at the church that caught fire across from the White House.
"Yesterday, our monstrous, despicable president assaulted Americans engaged in peaceful protest for a photo op. He could be reelected," Page tweeted.
"I wrote a few mean texts four years ago and have been rained down with insults and attacks ever since. But I'm the f-----g coup plotter. Got it."
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Page and her fellow FBI agent Peter Strzok, with whom she had an affair, famously exchanged disparaging texts about Trump before the 2016 presidential election. Her conduct has come under scrutiny as conservatives argued that the FBI's Russia investigation was driven by anti-Trump bias.
The president has also publicly mocked her relationship with Strzok, performing a mock imitation of them, for example, at one of his rallies last year.
LISA PAGE SUES FBI AND DOJ, CITING 'COST OF THERAPY' AFTER TRUMP MOCKED HER SALACIOUS TEXT MESSAGES
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Page's comments on Tuesday came after the president took a photo while standing in front of St. John's Church across from Lafayette Square. Before Trump walked through the square, law enforcement used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Prominent figures like former Vice President Joe Biden have blamed Trump for these actions -- although it's unclear what exactly was behind the decision.
The White House indicated police deployed crowd control measures to help enforce D.C.'s curfew. “The perimeter was expanded to help enforce the 7 p.m. curfew in the same area where rioters attempted to burn down one of our nation’s most historic churches the night before. Protesters were given three warnings by the U.S. Park Police," White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said when asked about the criticism.
D.C. Park Police reportedly told WTOP that its decision to deploy tear gas was unrelated to Trump's plans to enter the area. Fox News hasn't confirmed this.
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Both the Secret Service and DC police have reportedly declined to further discuss the issue. "For operational security reasons, the U.S. Secret Service does not discuss our protectees or our protective means and methods," the Secret Service reportedly told WTOP.