WASHINGTON – U.S. Marshals have been told they should prepare to help protect national monuments across the country, according to an email directive viewed by The Washington Post, as President Donald Trump has vowed stern punishment for those who vandalize or destroy such structures as part of police violence protests.
In an email, Marshals Assistant Director Andrew Smith wrote that the service “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,” Smith wrote. He said the Marshals Incident Management Team would start a Joint Operations Center in Springfield, Va., to coordinate, and every deputy in the Special Operations Group would be made available to help as soon as Thursday. He also asked other districts and divisions to identify people they might be able to lend to the effort until July 8.
Recent Comments