The White House, however, trumpeted the administration's continuing support of law officers in the now subsiding protests.
If there was a shred of evidence, the administration would have presented fact witnesses to support this gaslighting, Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, said.
The clearing of Lafayette Square is the subject of an Interior Department inspector-generals review and at least one lawsuit brought by those wounded.
At a separate briefing Monday, a House Oversight subcommittee addressed the treatment of protesters and journalists at demonstrations across the country, including Lafayette Square.
The administration has denied that authorities forced protesters from the square that day so Trump could stage a law-and-order photo op nearby, clinching an upheld Bible.