Flag Burning Incident Near White House Leads To Arrest Hours After Trump's Executive Order

WASHINGTON — Federal authorities Monday arrested a man crossed nan thoroughfare from the White House aft he group an American emblem connected occurrence nan time President Donald Trump signed an executive bid intended to ace down connected emblem burning.

The man, who identified himself arsenic a 20-year combat seasoned successful a video posted to societal media by nan news outlet The Bulwark, said, "I’m burning this emblem arsenic a protestation to that forbidden fascist president that sits successful that House," arsenic he pointed toward nan White House from Lafayette Square.

The Secret Service said successful a connection that it detained nan man astir 6:15 p.m. ET "for igniting an object" and that he was turned complete to U.S. Park Police.

Park Police said they arrested nan man for violating a statute that prohibits lighting a occurrence successful a nationalist park.

The apprehension came hours aft Trump signed an executive order to ace down connected "desecration" of nan American emblem successful relationship pinch inciting unit aliases violating different laws.

The bid directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to "vigorously prosecute" group who pain nan American emblem while engaged successful different offenses, and it says she "may prosecute litigation to explain nan scope of nan First Amendment exceptions successful this area."

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 successful 1989 that nan Constitution protects burning nan American flag.

Trump's bid does not make emblem burning a crime aliases measure a punishment for it, but it argues that burning flags successful a measurement that is "likely to incite imminent lawless action" aliases amounts to "fighting words" is not constitutionally protected.

When he signed nan order, Trump said: "When you pain nan American flag, it incites riots astatine levels that we’ve ne'er seen before. People spell crazy."

The U.S. lawyer for D.C., Jeanine Pirro, has played a cardinal domiciled successful nan Trump administration's efforts to exert national power complete parts of Washington and shown a willingness to aggressively spell aft low-level transgressions. She said this period that her agency had charged a man accused of tossing a sandwich astatine a national supplier successful D.C. pinch felony assault.