NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is calling for two suspects to turn themselves in on federal charges for vandalizing statues of George Washington in New York City.
Trump tweeted Tuesday that the unidentified vandals would face 10 years in prison under federal law. Surveillance footage released by New York City police shows the men throwing balloons filled with red paint at the statues in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park.
We are tracking down the two Anarchists who threw paint on the magnificent George Washington Statue in Manhattan. We have them on tape. They will be prosecuted and face 10 years in Prison based on the Monuments and Statues Act. Turn yourselves in now!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2020
Trump signed an executive order last week that called for the government to prosecute vandals of monuments “to the fullest extent permitted under federal law.”