Ken Cuccinelli vows federal government will 'bring consequences' to those destroying statues

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Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli on efforts to protect monuments, statues

Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli on efforts to protect monuments, statues

Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli warned on Saturday that the federal government would not take recent vandalism "lying down."

Fox News host Neil Cavuto had asked Cuccinelli about attempts to take down the statue of former President Andrew Jackson located in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C.

"We are going to be aggressive and forward-leaning in prosecuting people who are breaking the law, creating violence, trying to destroy federal property and destroy our history along with it," he said.

"There are hundreds of other investigations running right now, Neil, from all across the country. So people should know that this is not something that their federal government is going to take lying down. We're going to reestablish peace, and we're going to bring consequences to those who violate the law."

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Cuccinelli's comments came just days after authorities arrested Jason Charter, the alleged ring leader behind the effort to take down the statue of Jackson on June 22. According to the FBI's criminal complaint, Charter was seen standing over the statue, and pouring an "unknown liquid" onto it.

“He is then observed waving others away from the statue, and squatting down behind the statue where his hands are not visible. Seconds later, the statue catches fire. Charter is seen standing over the flames as it burns," the complaint read.

That incident was just one of many sweeping the nation as violent protests broke out after George Floyd's death. Some have defended the idea that statues should be removed. For example, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposed placing Confederate statues in museums, rather than "celebrating" them in the public square.

President Trump has responded to the vandalism by signing an executive order focused on protecting American monuments, memorials, and statues.

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For Independence Day, Cuccinelli said that his department would be ready to confront any violence that took place during celebrations.

"So, for all the monuments on federal property, we have primary responsibility if they're not in a park where it's [the] National Park Service, and we've been teaming up with them even in front of the White House," he said.

"We've actually had some violence overnight in Portland where some of our CBP [Customs and Border Protection] agents were forward deployed with local officials. That was handled effectively. And we're ready for that anywhere in the country. We have Go Teams deployed that can be anywhere in a matter of hours in the continental 48 [states], and we also are forward deployed to some of the areas where we have a greater concern for the potential for violence. And, obviously, this is to maintain peace and keep Americans safe in addition to our history."

Earlier this week, the Homeland Security Department (DHS) announced a new task force dedicated to protecting American monuments.

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Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf said he "directed the deployment and pre-positioning of Rapid Deployment Teams (RDT) across the country to respond to potential threats to facilities and property."

“While the Department respects every American’s right to protest peacefully, violence and civil unrest will not be tolerated," he added.