Los Angeles psychologist admits ‘gifting’ box of horse manure to Donald Trump’s treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin for Christmas
The US Secret Service says it has interviewed someone claiming responsibility for delivering the gift-wrapped package
A Los Angeles psychologist has admitted “gifting” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin with boxes of manure in what he says is a dirty protest over the Trump administration’s tax bill.
Robert Strong was identified on Monday by AL.com as the man who sent the manure to Steve Mnuchin’s Bel-Air mansion on Saturday.
Strong shared photos on Facebook of the card that he said accompanied the deliveries.
Addressed to “Stevie,” they read: “Mrs. Mnuchin & Trump, We’re returning the ‘gift’ of the Christmas tax bill. It’s bulls**t. Warmest wishes, the American People.
“PS – Kiss Donald for me.”
On Monday, Strong told California public radio station KPCC: “What I did, I would like to compare to what Jesus did when he went into the temple and overturned the tables of the money-changers, who were exploiting the people financially in the name of religion.
“I feel like that is what the Republican Party has done to the American people.”
Strong said a friend’s horses supplied him with enough manure to leave two boxes not just at Mnuchin’s Bel-Air home, but also at another of his mansions in Beverly Hills.
The LAPD’s bomb squad was called to the Bel-Air property after a neighbour stumbled upon one of the packages.
Strong said on Facebook that Secret Service agents interviewed him about the stunt Sunday evening.
“Yikes!” he wrote, “Luckily I have peace of mind and a clean conscience. I now join my biggest hero’s who also had an FBI file. It’s a right of passage.”
He said Timothy Leary and Martin Luther King were among his heroes, according to Al.com.
Secret Service spokesman Cody Starken confirmed on Monday that the agency was contacted by the LAPD and had interviewed a person who claimed responsibility. However, he declined to identify the person.
It’s unclear whether Strong will face criminal charges for his stunt.
The new tax bill has been heavily criticised from several sides, including The Wall Street Journal, which has previously been supportive of President Donald Trump’s economic direction.
Concerns have been raised that the bill is providing substantial tax cuts to America’s most wealthy citizens at the expense of its poor and middle classes, and could add up to US$1.4 trillion to the country’s deficit.
Tribune News Service, The Washington Post
