Woman Arrested for Vandalism at WWII Memorial in Washington

A woman has been arrested and charged with two serious felonies in connection with vandalism at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., just weeks after President Donald Trump publicly criticized his own administration's federal prosecutor over a separate vandalism case at the nearby reflecting pool.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, confirmed on Friday that Melissa Farris, 41, was arrested and charged with damaging U.S. property and destroying a veterans memorial. The charges carry a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years.

The arrest came one day after the memorial was defaced with soap and spray paint. Bubbles filled the memorial's fountain, while the message “Clean hands dirty $” was scrawled in red and green paint on the surface.

Pirro wrote on social media platform X: “Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring Americans who fought and sacrificed for our freedom.” She also noted that her father and grandfather served in the U.S. military. Pirro additionally posted images of a woman appearing to hold a spray paint can near the red graffiti on the memorial, but did not specify the origin of these photos.

Farris is expected to appear in court on Friday. The Public Defender's Office said earlier in the day that she had not yet been assigned defense counsel.

Trump-Pirro Clash Over Reflecting Pool Case

The charges come just weeks after Pirro dropped vandalism charges against several individuals accused of damaging the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. That decision angered President Trump and exposed a rare rift between the president and one of his appointed officials.

Trump had previously claimed the pool was deliberately vandalized following its renovation under his orders. However, the pool's condition deteriorated rapidly within days of completion, 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 vandalizing the reflecting pool. He was one of at least seven people facing criminal charges related to the pool's peeling sealant. Despite initially asserting the case was based on “overwhelming evidence,” less than a month later, on August 1, she filed a motion to drop the charges against Hearn.

Pirro maintained that the Department of the Interior had provided her office with “incomplete information from the very beginning of the case,” and she attributed the damage to improper repair of the reflecting pool.

President Trump reacted by sharply criticizing Pirro and sticking to his allegations of vandalism, though he has not provided substantive evidence. Speaking to reporters on August 3, he said: “I'm disappointed in Jeanine Pirro, very disappointed. She folded like a cheap suit.”

Trump appeared to link that controversy to the latest vandalism at the World War II Memorial on Friday. He wrote on Truth Social: “Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just vandalized with spray paint. First the reflecting pool, now this. We will find them! Where do these animals come from???”

The Department of the Interior said the U.S. Park Police are investigating the vandalism and pledged to find those responsible. The department stated: “The public should know that we will find those responsible for this disgusting act.”

Trump has made the renovation of Washington, D.C. landmarks a central part of his second term. He and his allies have initiated controversial overhauls of the White House, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and other landmarks. This month also marks the anniversary of Trump deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., in an effort to crack down on crime. However, critics have blasted Trump for his hardline approach to law enforcement and questioned the basis of some charges brought in his anti-crime campaign.