"A statue of President Trump holding hands with Jeffrey Epstein appeared briefly on D.C.'s National Mall this week, only to be removed after less than a day. The bronze-painted installation, titled Best Friends Forever, depicts the two men smiling at each other, each with an arm and leg raised as if in mid-frolic. "In Honor of Friendship Month, we celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his 'closest friend,' Jeffrey Epstein," reads the plaque, emblazoned with hands making a heart shape."
"September is widely recognized as friendship month. Trump has repeatedly downplayed his relationship with Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in jail in August 2019. But it remains a sore spot for the president, as his administration faces continued calls to release the Epstein files, a trove of documents from various investigations into the disgraced financier. A group called The Secret Handshake claimed responsibility for the statue after it arrived on the National Mall on Tuesday morning."
"And while a National Park Service permit issued for the statue and obtained by NPR allowed it to remain there until Sunday evening, eyewitness video showed U.S. Park Police hauling it onto a truck before sunrise on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior told NPR that the statue was removed "because it was not compliant with the permit issued," though did not specify how."
A bronze-painted statue titled Best Friends Forever depicted President Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands and was placed on the National Mall, then removed within a day. The plaque referenced Friendship Month and celebrated a purported long-lasting bond between the two men. The Secret Handshake claimed responsibility and a National Park Service permit allowed the statue through Sunday, but eyewitness video showed U.S. Park Police removing it before dawn. The Department of the Interior said the removal occurred because the statue did not comply with the permit. The installing group accused the administration of illegally removing the work and suppressing speech, and the White House did not answer questions about the removal.
Read at www.npr.org
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