World War II Memorial vandalism case leads to two felony charges in Washington

Police arrested Melissa L Farris over alleged vandalism at the World War II Memorial in Washington. Prosecutors have announced two felony charges, sharpening scrutiny after recent disputes over damage at nearby monuments.

In Short

• Red paint message and bubbles were found at the memorial fountain
• Authorities said the accused had not yet been assigned counsel
• Veterans groups called the defacement a profound insult to service

A person has been arrested in connection with vandalism at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, with US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro saying her office is filing two felony charges. In a post on X on Friday, Pirro said Melissa L Farris faces charges of "Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans' Memorials", offences that carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

The arrest came after vandalism was found at the memorial, including bubbles filling a fountain and the words "Clean hands dirty $" written in red paint. It was not immediately clear when Farris might be arraigned. The Public Defender's office said she was not yet listed in the system and had not been assigned an attorney.

Calling the act an attack on a national monument, Pirro wrote: "Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather." The Interior Department said the US Park Police were on the scene after the Thursday vandalism and that an investigation was continuing. "The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act," the department said.

The Friends of the National World War II Memorial, a non-profit group that helps maintain the site, said: "There are many places in our country for expression, debate, and disagreement. A national memorial honouring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism." The Veterans of Foreign Wars called it "an act of profound disrespect, a slap in the face to the veterans who served and sacrificed and to the families who carried that burden at home".

The vandalism came weeks after President Donald Trump said the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool had been deliberately damaged, without providing evidence. On Friday, he wrote on Truth Social: "Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals" and added, "THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II." In another post, he said: "First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???"

The World War II Memorial is just east of the Reflecting Pool on the Mall. Earlier this year, a botched repair job at the pool left it with peeling blue sealant and green algae, but Trump blamed the damage on vandalism without providing evidence. A former Olympian was charged in late July with deliberately damaging the pool, but the Justice Department later moved to dismiss the case, saying evidence received by prosecutors refuted the claim that vandals were responsible.

Trump sharply criticised Pirro after she said the Reflecting Pool damage was caused by shoddy construction work and not by vandals, as he had claimed. The dismissal was a setback for the Justice Department, which had earlier echoed Trump's claims and presented the prosecution as accountability for damage to a Washington landmark that was a pet project of Trump. Pirro later blamed the Interior Department for providing "less than fulsome information at the outset of the case", a marked shift from her earlier claim that the government's case rested on "tremendous evidence". Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, in a post on X, appeared to push back against Pirro's criticism, saying some of the acts of vandalism had been captured on video.

The latest case centres on the alleged vandalism at the World War II Memorial, where prosecutors have announced two felony charges after an arrest, even as questions remain over the accused's court appearance and the wider political fallout from recent claims about damage to nearby national monuments.

With PTI Inputs

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