OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
11:34 AM – Friday, August 14, 2026
A woman has been arrested and charged with vandalizing the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., after allegedly livestreaming the crime on Facebook.
On Friday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced the arrest of Melissa L. Farris, posting images of the suspected vandal.
“Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather,” Pirro wrote.
“This morning, we are filing two felony charges, Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials, in Federal District Court against Melissa L. Farris, offenses that carry penalties of up to ten years in prison. She is now in custody,” she concluded.
On Thursday, the memorial had bubbles in the fountain and spray-painted graffiti that appeared to read, “Clean hands dirty $.”
A video livestreamed on Facebook from an account in Farris’ name showed a woman shaking a can of spray paint before painting the memorial.
“It was me, I’m doing it, I did it, it’s on camera,” the woman said on the livestream.
President Donald Trump condemned the vandalism in a Truth Social post, emphasizing that it came not long after the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — one of his administration’s proudest projects — was involved in a vandalism investigation.
“Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals. THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II. First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???” the president remarked on Friday.
Friends of the WWII Memorial, an organization that stays connected to veterans and aims to preserve the memorial in the Capitol, also responded to the act of vandalism in a statement on Thursday.
“We are deeply disturbed by the reported vandalism at the National World War II Memorial today. Whatever the intent, defacing a place dedicated to the service and sacrifice of the World War II generation is unacceptable,” it said. “The National World War II Memorial is more than stone, bronze, and water. It is a sacred place of remembrance — a place where veterans, families, students, and visitors from across our nation and around the world come to reflect on the courage, sacrifice, unity, and service of a generation that helped preserve freedom.”
“There are many places in our country for expression, debate, and disagreement. A national memorial honoring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism,” the group added.
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