Woman charged over vandalism of World War II Memorial in Washington, DC

A woman has been arrested and charged with two felonies over the vandalism of the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, weeks after President Donald Trump publicly rebuked his own US attorney over a separate vandalism case at the nearby Reflecting Pool.

US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said on Friday that Melissa Farris, 41, had been taken into custody and charged with depredation of US property and destruction of veterans’ memorials.

The charges carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

The arrest comes a day after the memorial was vandalised with soap and graffiti. Bubbles filled its fountain, while the words “Clean hands dirty $” were painted in red and green on its surface.

“Vandalising our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honouring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom,” Pirro wrote on the social media platform X, adding that her father and grandfather were among those who served in the US armed forces.

Pirro also posted photographs of a woman who appeared to be holding a spray-paint can near red graffiti on the memorial. She did not say where the images came from.

Farris is expected to be arraigned on Friday. The Public Defender’s Office said earlier in the day that she had not yet been assigned a lawyer.

Trump-Pirro clash over Reflecting Pool

The charges come weeks after Pirro dropped vandalism charges against several people accused of damaging the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The decision angered Trump and exposed a rare public disagreement between the president and one of his political appointees.

Trump had claimed the pool was deliberately vandalised after renovations he had ordered and overseen. But its condition deteriorated within days of the work being completed, with blue sealant peeling and algae appearing in the water.

Pirro held a news conference in early July to charge former Olympic athlete David Hearn with the alleged Reflecting Pool vandalism. He was one of at least seven people who faced criminal charges over the pool’s peeling sealant.

While Pirro had initially said the government’s case was built on “tremendous evidence”, she issued a court motion less than a month later, on August 1, dropping the charges against Hearn.

Pirro asserted that the Interior Department had provided her office “less than fulsome information at the outset of the case”, and she blamed the damage on faulty repairs to the Reflecting Pool.

Trump responded by sharply criticising Pirro and doubling down on his allegations of vandalism, though he has yet to provide definitive proof.

“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella,” he told reporters on 3 August.

Trump appeared to connect that dispute with the latest vandalism at the World War II Memorial on Friday.

“Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“First the Reflecting Pool, now this,” he continued. “We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???”

The Interior Department said US Park Police were investigating the vandalism and pledged to find whoever was responsible.

“The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act,” the department said.

Trump has made renovations to Washington, DC, a major facet of his second term, and he and his allies have initiated controversial renovations to the White House and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, among other landmarks.

This month also marks the anniversary of Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Washington, DC, in an effort to crack down on crime.

Critics, however, have criticised Trump for a heavy-handed approach to law enforcement and have questioned the basis for some of the charges brought under his anti-crime campaign.