Two-time failed presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that Donald Trump has tried to “hijack” Christianity, citing an instance of the president holding a Bible outside St. John’s Episcopal Church after it was set fire during recent protests and riots.

“That has been a pattern. He’s tried to hijack Christianity and the Bible in ways that are deeply hypocritical and that was just another occasion,” Clinton told British news source Sky News.

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“They were totally peaceful protesters and what he was trying to do, as he often does, is to mischaracterize them and their behavior and their goals and lump them in with the tiny, tiny minority who took advantage of a tragic moment to loot and steal and vandalize — a tiny, tiny percentage — and he wanted to cast that over the millions of very thoughtful, non-violent peaceful protesters,” Clinton said.

She continued, “There should be no tolerance for violent protest and certainly that was not at the core of the literally millions of people who have come out to protest peacefully over the last several weeks.”

U.S. Park Police rejected claims by liberals and the mainstream media earlier this month that officers used tear gas against peaceful protesters so that President Trump could have a “photo-op” at St. John’s Church. U.S. Park Police said in a statement at the time that, “At approximately 6:33 pm, violent protestors on H Street NW began throwing projectiles including bricks, frozen water bottles and caustic liquids. The protestors also climbed onto a historic building at the north end of Lafayette Park that was destroyed by arson days prior.”

“Intelligence had revealed calls for violence against the police, and officers found caches of glass bottles, baseball bats and metal poles hidden along the street,” the statement added. “As many of the protestors became more combative, continued to throw projectiles, and attempted to grab officers’ weapons, officers then employed the use of smoke canisters and pepper balls,” the statement continued. “No tear gas was used by USPP officers or other assisting law enforcement partners to close the area at Lafayette Park. Subsequently, the fence was installed.”

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This piece originally appeared in ThePoliticalInsider.com and is used by permission.

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