Pocan calls Trump tweet about 75-year-old hospitalized protester ‘disgusting’

June 9, 2020 1:31 PM

Amy Reid,

Posted: June 9, 2020 1:31 PM

Updated: June 9, 2020 2:48 PM

by Amy Reid

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan criticized President Donald Trump for a tweet on Tuesday about a man pushed by Buffalo Police during a protest supporting black lives.

“Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateaur,” Trump wrote. “75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN (conservative outlet One America News) I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?”

Trump was referring to an incident last week in which two Buffalo police officers pushed a 75-year-old protester down on the sidewalk, causing him to begin bleeding immediately. The man, Gugino, is hospitalized in serious but stable condition. The officers have been charged with felony assault.

“This is disgusting,” Pocan wrote in a Facebook post with a photo of Trump’s tweet. “We’ve all seen the video of a Martin Gugino being shoved by police & bleeding from his head b/c of it. It doesn’t matter if he’s 75 or 25, that’s not how police should treat protesters. And this tweet below – is how the President enables police violence.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called on Trump to apologize after saying there is no evidence to support what Trump tweeted.

“It is all made up,” he said. “It is all fabricated. There is no fact to any of it. He is accusing this man of being associated with ANTIFA, and no proof whatsoever.”

Gov. Cuomo calls on President Trump to apologize for his tweet about Martin Gugino. “What do you think, it was staged? Do you think the blood coming out of his head was staged? Is that what you’re saying? You saw his head hit the pavement, you see blood on the pavement…”

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 9, 2020