White House Denies Using Tear Gas on Protesters by Splitting Hairs

Washington D.C.’s Park Police Force is denying they used tear gas to disperse peaceful protesters so the President could take a photo-op, despite video of the incident. Instead, they are saying, they used “smoke canisters and pepper balls” and not tear gas, though the combination of those weapons’ effects is very similar to tear gas. Trump has been denounced by the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, saying he laid bare his contempt for the rights of peaceful protesters.