Federal officials had sought to obtain a sound cannon or devices known as heat rays as they looked to disperse protesters from nearby the White House earlier this year, according to a whistleblower.
NBC News reported that Maj. Adam DeMarco, a reservist in the District of Columbia National Guard, said he was copied in a June 1 email from the Defense Department lead military officer for the National Capital Region.
In the email, the D.C. National Guard was asked if it had a "long range acoustic device," which is a sound cannon, or "active denial systems (ADS)," which are heat rays, according to DeMarco.
His comments came in response to questions from the House Natural Resource Committee.
The email reportedly said that the heat ray devices provide troops with "the ability to reach out and engage potential adversaries at distances well beyond small arms range, and in a safe, effective, and non-lethal manner."
And according to DeMarco it also noted: "The ADS can immediately compel an individual to cease threatening behavior or depart through application of a directed energy beam that provides a sensation of intense heat on the surface of the skin.”
DeMarco said the D.C. National Guard didn't have a sound cannon device or heat rays.
Attorney General Bill Barr has termed the protests at Lafayette Park “violent riots.” He said protesters were given warnings before they were finally forcibly removed.
“On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (May 29-31), there were violent riots at Lafayette Park where the park police were under constant attack behind their bike rack fences,” he said.