President Donald Trump stated Tuesday morning that he has authorized the arrest and jailing of “anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal Property.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 20:President Donald Trump walks in the rain toward Marine One after stopping to speak to the media on the South Lawn of the White House as he prepares to depart for a rally in Tulsa, OK, on June 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
“I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison, per the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent,” Trump tweeted. “This action is taken effective immediately, but may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused. There will be no exceptions!”
I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison, per the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2020
…..This action is taken effective immediately, but may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused. There will be no exceptions!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2020
Trump, before departing the White House Tuesday for Yuma, Arizona, told reporters that he will soon sign an executive order prescribing “long term jail sentences” for “anarchists” targeting federal monuments.
The president’s statements comes after protesters in Washington, D.C. attempted to tear down the Andrew Jackson monument in Lafayette Square, just outside the White House, on Monday evening.
The protesters reportedly wanted to establish a “Black Autonomous Zone,” similar to the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” in Seattle, Washington. (EXCLUSIVE: Trump Isn’t Sending National Guard To Seattle — ‘I Think It’s Great Sitting Back And Watching This Catastrophe’)
BREAKING from Lafayette Square in front of The White House pic.twitter.com/jkRBdfUMRu
— RichieMcG (@RichieMcGinniss) June 23, 2020
Protesters in cities across the country have toppled statues of Confederate generals in addition to American legends and leaders from other nations in recent days. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany criticized protesters Monday for vandalizing statues of former President Ulysses S. Grant, India’s Mahatma Gandhi, and abolitionist Matthias Baldwin.
“We’re being told that the George Washington statue needs to come down, the Thomas Jefferson’s statue needs to come down,” she stated in response to a question from Yamiche Alcindor. “Where do you draw the line from Gandhi all the way to George Washington?’
Neither the White House nor Justice Department responded to the Daily Caller’s inquiries on the president’s tweets Tuesday morning.