Fact Check: Did Trump Supporters Burn a Church in December, as Jamie Raskin Said?

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) began day two of the impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump on Wednesday by displaying evidence to support the argument that Trump is guilty of inciting the January 6 Capitol riot.

Social media users allege that Raskin made a false statement during his argument.

The Claim

Twitter users allege that Raskin, the lead impeachment manager, falsely said that Trump supporters burned a church during a Million MAGA March in December.

On Twitter, British YouTuber and writer Paul Joseph Watson posted: "House impeachment manager Rep Jamie Raskin falsely claimed that Trump supporters took part in the 'burning of a church' and 'impaled' police officers during his speech in the Senate yesterday," in a tweet that received more than 800 likes and 300 retweets.

PT News Network tweeted: "@RepRaskin literally just lied on the Senate floor saying a church was burned down in DC on Dec 12. Is he not under oath? The only church that burned down was May 31st and BLM rioters were the ones responsible."

The Facts

Raskin was appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in January as the leading house manager for Trump's second impeachment trial.

Day two of the trial began with Raskin leading the impeachment argument on Wednesday.

"We are having a trial on the facts," he said before presenting evidence against Trump. "This is about holding accountable the person singularly responsible for inciting the attack. Let's start with December 12th."

Raskin then showed a photo of a tweet posted by Trump the morning of December 12 that said, "We have just begun to fight."

"That's before the second Million MAGA March, a rally that ended in serious violence and even the burning of a church," Raskin said.

In C-Span's footage of Senate Impeachment Trial Day 2, Part 1, Raskin's statement can be heard at about the 9:55 mark.

One Twitter user posted a clip of Raskin's statement about the burning of a church and wrote, "They aren't even slightly worried with truth anymore."

After the Million MAGA March in December, multiple news outlets reported that a few D.C. churches were vandalized by protesters and that some protesters ripped down a Black Lives Matter (BLM) flag from a church and set fire to the flag.

The flag was torn down from the Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, according to Fox 5 D.C., and a tweet from Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, that shows a video clip of the incident.

WTOP News reported that the Mount Vernon United Methodist Church in D.C. also had a sign that was destroyed by protesters.

There were no reports that a church had been burned after the Million MAGA March in December.

On May 31 last year, someone set a fire in the basement of St. John's Episcopal Church in D.C. across from the White House during riots that followed peaceful protests against police brutality and racial injustice, according to the Washington Post.

The Ruling

False.

A church was not burned by Trump supporters after the Million MAGA March in December, as Raskin claimed Wednesday during Trump's impeachment trial.

However, churches were reported to be vandalized and a Black Lives Matter flag was burned by the protesters.