Trump to local, state gov’ts: Either protect federal monuments or lose federal funding
Ed MorrisseyPosted at 4:01 pm on June 27, 2020
Consider this a copy of Donald Trump’s Tuesday tweet in EO form. Remember this?
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
· Jun 23, 2020
I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison, per the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent.....
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
.....This action is taken effective immediately, but may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused. There will be no exceptions!
170K
5:46 AM - Jun 23, 2020
Late yesterday, Trump formalized it into an executive order, but added a new provision. Local and state governments that don’t act to protect federal monuments can expect to kiss some of their federal grant money goodbye — at least to the extent Trump controls those pursestrings:
President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the Justice Department to prioritize prosecution of protesters who damage federal monuments and limit federal funding for local governments that are perceived to not be adequately protecting those monuments.
The executive order also emphasized strict sentencing, with a maximum of 10 years in prison, for those found guilty of such acts, a key plank of Trump’s law and order strategy the president has repeatedly tweeted and talked about in recent weeks.
Trump’s order comes as protests across the country against systemic racism and police brutality have resulted in the toppling of monuments to Confederate leaders, slave owners and European colonists.
The order characterizes protesters as actively seeking to undermine the integrity of the United States government — referring to them “Anarchists and left-wing extremists†— and comes a day after Trump labeled demonstrators as “terrorists†who will face “retribution.â€
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https://hotair.com/archives/ed-morrissey/2020/06/27/trump-local-state-govts-either-protect-federal-monuments-lose-federal-funding/