Trump highlights indictment of woman in World War II Memorial vandalism case
Trump points to a report that Melissa Farris, 41, of Kentucky, was indicted on two federal counts over graffiti and soap at the World War II Memorial, charges carrying up to 10 years in prison.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump highlighted the federal indictment of a woman accused of defacing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., pointing his followers to a news report on the case.
Melissa Farris, of Kentucky, faces two felony counts after allegedly leaving a message in spray paint on the newly renovated memorial, according to The Independent. Prosecutors accuse her of spray painting the words “Clean hands dirty $” on the landmark and filling a fountain with bubbles on Aug. 13. A grand jury indicted her on charges of destroying the veterans’ memorial and destroying government property, according to the-independent. The charges carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison, according to aljazeera.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Woman is indicted over World War II Memorial vandalism incident: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/08/28/melissa-farris-suspect-wwii-memorial-vandalism-indicted-two-charges/” on September 1, 2026 at 9:40 PM ET.
This is Trump’s 36th message released today, and the last post was 10 minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 39 of his 676 posts over the last 30 days classified as Legal posts.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced the initial charges against Farris, 41, saying she faced counts of depredation of U.S. property and destruction of veterans’ memorials, according to aljazeera. “Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom,” Pirro said, adding that her father and grandfather served in the U.S. armed forces, according to c4israel.
President Donald J. Trump highlights the federal indictment of Melissa Farris in Washington D.C.
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U.S. Park Police responded to the monument around 2 p.m. for a report of a disorderly person, according to The Independent. A witness told officers they saw a woman spray painting graffiti on the memorial, and a park ranger reported multiple people gathered around the balcony watching a woman shoot video of herself, according to the-independent. One witness photographed the woman, and an officer recognized her as someone police arrested days earlier, on Aug. 10, for unlawfully camping on federal property a few blocks away, according to The Independent.
Prosecutors allege Farris recorded multiple livestream videos on Aug. 13 and admitted to damaging the memorial, according to The Independent. Trump condemned the damage at the time, mentioning the source (see washingtonpost) for the indictment in his latest post.
The prosecution followed public tension between Trump and Pirro over separate vandalism charges nearby, according to Yahoo Inc.. Pirro dropped vandalism charges against David Hearn, a former Olympian, and others in July over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, after conceding in court filings that the damage was “the result of a botched installation and not vandalism,” according to c4israel. Trump criticized Pirro for dropping that case, telling reporters she “folded like an umbrella,” according to yahoo.
Farris is scheduled to be arraigned next week on the two felony counts, according to The Independent. A specific arraignment date was not stated in the released materials.
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