After Lafayette Square outside the White House was trashed by pro-Palestinian protesters over the weekend, one Republican senator wants to throw the book at criminals damaging property.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) unveiled a bill on Thursday, titled the Saving Treasured Artifacts Through Uniformed Enforcement Act, aimed at increasing minimum penalties for property damage, after the vandalism to the statues in the square next to the White House resulted in no arrests from Washington, D.C., police.
“Any protester who defaces statues of America’s heroes must face the full extent of the law,” Cotton told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
“As Joe Biden seeks to appease the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party, it’s clear his administration won’t do anything to punish the protesters who defaced the area around the White House recently. The Senate should take up my legislation to punish these pro-Hamas lunatics,” he added.
The bill, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), would mandate a minimum five-year prison sentence and a fine of $1,000 or the value of the damage to the property, whichever is more. The legislation would also make the Veterans’ Memorial Preservation and Recognition Act apply to all property and monuments under the federal government’s purview.
The vandalism to the square did not leave any permanent damage, per the U.S. Secret Service, but the National Park Service spent Sunday cleaning up the mess made during the protests, according to the Washington Post.
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“Notable damage includes graffiti, damage to some structures and damage to park infrastructure in Lafayette Park,” park service spokeswoman Jasmine Shanti told the outlet.
Lafayette Square has been the target of vandalism and property damage in multiple protests in recent years, including Saturday’s pro-Palestinian protests.
Ross O’Keefe contributed to this report.
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