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Tags: marshals | monuments | andrew jackson | statues

US Marshals Set to Help Defend National Monuments

statue of andrew jackson on a horse stands in front of the white house with washington monument in the background
A statue of Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans occupies the center of Lafayette Square on the north side of the White House. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

By    |   Thursday, 25 June 2020 09:04 AM EDT

U.S. marshals are being told they should be ready to help protect national monuments as protests against racism and police violence continue.

The Washington Post reported the directive came in an email from Marshals Service Assistant Director Andrew Smith. In the email, Smith wrote the agency “has been asked to immediately prepare to provide federal law enforcement support to protect national monuments (throughout the country).”

“This is a challenging assignment due to the breadth of possible targets for criminal activity,” he wrote. The newspaper noted that other internal correspondence suggests officials are concerned attempts could be made to vandalize monuments over the July 4 holiday.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has “authorized” federal authorities to arrest people trying to vandalize or destroy monuments, statues, or other federal property.

Trump's comments came in tweets posted after protesters unsuccessfully tried to take down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square, a park just north of the White House.

The Pentagon said on Wednesday that between 100 and 400 National Guard members will provide security and crowd management to keep monuments from being defaced.

The Post noted that  protesters have toppled statues of figures from America’s past — including Confederate generals — as part of the continued demonstrations throughout the country.

Jeffrey Rodack

Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.

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U.S. marshals are being told they should be ready to help protect national monuments as protests against racism and police violence continue. The Washington Post reported the directive came in an email from Marshals Service Assistant Director Andrew Smith. In the email...
marshals, monuments, andrew jackson, statues
211
2020-04-25
Thursday, 25 June 2020 09:04 AM
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