US Park Police did not disperse protesters in Washington last year so then President Donald Trump could pose for photos, a new report has found.
Officers used chemical irritant and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters in Lafayette Park on 1 June.
Soon after, Mr Trump posed for photographs outside St John’s Episcopal Church, holding a Bible.
On Wednesday, the former president praised the “professionally written report” and the inspector general.
The report conducted by the Interior Office said US Park Police (USPP) officers cleared the area in order for anti-scale fencing to be installed by contractors.
The decision to clear the area began to be implemented several hours before the USPP knew that Mr Trump could be potentially visiting the park.
It also found that three warnings had been issued to those at the park but acknowledged that some people may not have heard the warning and that the warning did not tell people how to exit the area.
The report focuses on how and when police made the decision to clear the park and does not investigate allegations of individual use-of-force incidents.
Mr Trump thanked the Interior Office’s Inspector General Mark Lee Greenblatt on Wednesday for “exonerating” him.
“Our fine Park Police made the decision to clear the park to allow a contractor to safely install anti-scale fencing to protect from Antifa rioters, radical BLM protesters and other violent demonstrators who are causing chaos and death to our cities,” he added.
He was referring to the left-wing, anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement, and the Black Lives Matter social movement.
What happened at Lafayette Square?
Demonstrators had gathered in the park near the White House for days as part of mass protests against police brutality and racism in the US, following the killing of black man George Floyd.
Police moved in to clear them about 30 minutes before a city-wide curfew went into effect – and just as Mr Trump began a televised speech from the White House Rose Garden.
After his speech, Mr Trump walked to the church, the basement of which had been set on fire the previous day, and posed with the Bible.
Mr Trump was heavily criticised at the time by religious leaders and top Democrats.
Rabbi Jack Moline, president of the Interfaith Alliance, said: “Seeing President Trump standing in front of St John’s Episcopal Church while holding a Bible in response to calls for racial justice – right after using military force to clear peaceful protesters – is one of the most flagrant misuses of religion that I have ever seen.”