A 75-year-old Buffalo man in serious condition after police shoved him to the pavement could be “an Antifa provocateur,” President Trump speculated Tuesday.
His comments drew a rebuke from an incredulous New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who called Mr. Trump “crude” and urged him to apologize.
The president tweeted that demonstrator Martin Gugino “was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment.”
“I watched, he fell harder than was pushed,” Mr. Trump said of a report on the One America News Network. “Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?”
Mr. Gugino, who could be seen bleeding from his right ear after his head hit the pavement, has been in serious but stable condition at a Buffalo-area hospital since the incident last week.
His lawyer, Kelly Zarcone, said Tuesday that Mr. Gugino is a peaceful protester and “a typical Western New Yorker who loves his family.”
“No one from law enforcement has even suggested anything otherwise so we are at a loss to understand why the President of the United States would make such dark, dangerous, and untrue accusations against him,” she said in a statement.
Mr. Cuomo, who has clashed often with the president, raised his voice and said he was flabbergasted by the president’s tweet. He said Mr. Trump showed a lack of decency and humanity.
“What does that even mean? Fell harder than he was pushed?” the Democrat said. “You think the blood coming out of his head was staged?”
“How mean, how crude,” Mr. Cuomo said.
The governor said he doesn’t understand how the president could tweet something so “dumb” and “reprehensible” at this juncture.
“At this moment of anguish and anger, what does he do? Pours gasoline on the fire,” Mr. Cuomo said. “If he ever feels a moment of decency he should apologize for that tweet, because it is wholly unacceptable. Show some decency, show some humanity. Show some fairness.”
Mr. Gugino was injured after he approached police during a demonstration in Niagara Square. Two officers shoved him away, and he fell backward.
The two officers were charged with felony assault and suspended. Friends say Mr. Gugino has been active in the Western New York Peace Center, a human-rights organization. He also has been associated with the Catholic Worker Movement.
His Twitter account, which contained anti-police commentary, was taken down Monday.
Democrats mocked the president’s view of the Buffalo incident.
“I guess he’s still pre-pivot,” Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii tweeted of the president.
Former Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer replied on Twitter, “I think this might be the preamble to the promised speech on race in America.”
Sen. Edward Markey, Massachusetts Democrat, said of the president’s comments, “When you see an elderly man assaulted, peaceful protestors gassed, police inciting violence, or a cop murdering a black man, believe your eyes, not the President.”
“We don’t need crazy conspiracy theories to explain why the police are abusing power. They’ve been given permission,” Mr. Markey tweeted.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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