Attorney General William Barr defended the use of force against peaceful anti-racism protesters outside the White House last week, saying the demonstrators were not peaceful and that their dispersal was unrelated to the presidents photo-op at a nearby church.

In a sit-down interview with CBS News, Barr accused protesters gathered around Lafayette Square on June 1 of throwing projectiles at officers and ignoring three warnings to vacate the area before physical force was used on them.

They were not peaceful protesters. And thats one of the big lies that the media is, seems to be perpetuating at this point, he said.