Attorney General Kathy Jennings released Tuesday the following statement on brutality authorized against protestors in Washington D.C.:

I have struggled to find the words for yesterday’s events in Lafayette Square.

In a long series of daily outrages and capricious decisions, the violence exacted yesterday against lawful, peaceful protestors is among the most shameful. That lawful Americans suffered this kind of brutality is bad enough; that it appears to have been planned for a photo op is beyond the pale. The president’s actions affirmed many demonstrators’ fears: that a fragile authoritarian will endanger your life for no apparent reason except to salve his own insecurities. That fear is particularly real in Washington D.C., where a lack of statehood leaves more than 700,000 Americans without the authority to intercede on their own behalf against a president who would readily endanger their lives for a campaign stunt. These are the actions of a dictator, not the voice of the American people.

People across the country are using their voices legitimately, justifiably, and peacefully. We are at a crossroads and we can choose to be our best selves—a nation that, confronted with its sins, listens to its neighbors and is moved to work together to atone and heal—or we can reprise the worst moments in history and violently crush dissent. It is painfully clear which path the president has chosen.

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