A self-declared anti-Trump lawyer claimed he will speak at a White House Rose Garden event on minorities and policing tomorrow, according to NBC News.

Trump hater S. Lee Merritt told PBS’s Yamiche Alcindor and NBC News’s Geoff Bennett that he will appear at an event wherein the President is due to unveil a police reform executive order and recognize system racism in policing.

If true, the move will likely alienate much of President Trump’s base.

UPDATE 17:52 – The National Pulse has learned from two sources that the words “systemic” and “racism” are not likely to appear in the executive order, and one source tells The National Pulse that while S. Lee Merritt claims he will be in attendance, there is some confusion over the matter, and the White House does not expect him, per the NBC and PBS reports.

UPDATE 20:14 – The White House has denied this afternoon that systemic racism is in the executive order, though it is unclear if S. Lee Merritt still intends to attend. The White House appeared to point fingers at PBS and NBC over misreporting based on the single source: S. Lee Merritt himself.

https://twitter.com/RyanGirdusky/status/1272656655398903808

ORIGINAL STORY FOLLOWS:

NEWS: Trump is expected to unveil a police reform executive order tomorrow, @MeritLaw tells me. Merritt says he's scheduled to speak during a Rose Garden event tomorrow with Trump and AG Barr, as @Yamiche first reported. The EO, he says, acknowledges systemic racism in policing.

— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) June 15, 2020

NBC’s Bennett added: “Both Merritt and White House adviser Ja’Ron Smith tell NBC News that the president also intends to meet privately tomorrow with Black families who have been affected by police violence.”

PBS reports: “The president is expected to sign the executive order Tuesday during a Rose Garden event featuring Merritt and Attorney General William Barr, the lawyer said.”

“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Merritt. “It’s too incremental to have, you know, sweeping impact. But it’s things that we need to have done among the myriad of things that we need to address this crisis. It’s not a cure. But it is a way to deal with the damage from the fallout.”

But S. Lee Merritt has a long history of making abuse and hateful comments about President Trump, leading Trump supporters to question why the event is taking place at all.

The lawyer has called President Trump a racist, a liar, and an idiot:

He has declared himself to be “Never Trump”:

He has also blasted the fake news story about Charlottesville and the “fine people” hoax around to his followers:

S. Lee Merritt also promoted Kathy Griffin’s beheading of President Trump:

He added:

He’s also blasted Trump over the Central Park 5:

And called Trump a “race pimp and world class race baitor.”

He’s supported impeachment:

…And accused the President of building a monument to white supremacy:

S. Lee Merritt has countless examples of abusing President Trump on Twitter:

This story is developing.