The U.S. National Park Service is investigating after a profane phrase was found spray painted on a pillar that is part of the Lincoln Memorial. The red scrawling, which read “F— law,” was discovered this morning around 4:30 a.m.

(Photo is courtesy of the National Park Service.)

NBC’s DC affiliate, WRC, reports on the efforts to remove the offensive tag:

Work to remove the words is underway. A preservation crew is using a “mild, gel-type architectural paint stripper” to remove the paint without damaging the stone. The crew is applying a layer of the gel, rinsing it, checking how effective it was and repeating as necessary.

No suspects have been identified and a motive is unclear, but I think we all know the message the punk was trying to send. These are crazy times.