Lincoln taxidermy and bust among the effects of leaving the White House



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Totaled up by Debbie Meadows, wife of White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, the taxidermic bird was moved from the Meadows West Wing office, among other boxes and keepsakes from her time in administration, and placed in the trunk of a waiting SUV.

Questions abounded Thursday after a trio of unidentified masked officials marched a bronze bust of President Abraham Lincoln outside the front door of the West Wing. Who did it belong to? And where, precisely, had it gone?

Objects such as the Lincoln sculpture have been on loan from the official White House collection and are part of a documented process in which thousands of works of art, decorative art, sculpture, porcelain, d silver and other artifacts are historically preserved.

These items can be selected by the new president and first lady at the start of a new term, as the Trumps did in 2017.

During the move, there is a systematic return of items on loan to the White House Historical Association, which, along with the Chief Bailiff and Curator of the White House, collects the items in the collection.

<< To all those concerned about media photos of items leaving the White House: The White House Chief Bailiff and Curator are responsible for the management and accounting of the White House collection in each presidency. They are an exemplary team of career professionals and should have our confidence in carrying out their responsibilities, ”White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin said in a statement.

The curator is Lydia Tederick, according to the White House Historical Association, who “served on the Curator’s Office for over thirty years and is the eighth professional to hold that post.”

Tederick reports to Chief Bailiff Timothy Harleth, a former Trump Hotel employee who is now a career public servant. Harleth “essentially serves as managing director of White House residency and operations and oversees the Collection,” according to the association.

Remember that staff members have their own items they brought to the White House and can take them home as they wish. Some items are on loan to staff and offices from other collections and will be returned. to those collections, ”McLaurin said. .

He added in a Tweeter that he had “reconfirmed” that information Thursday with Harleth in light of questions about the Lincoln bust leaving.

As for Meadows’ majestic fowl, the pheasant is a personal effect and was previously in his Capitol Hill office and, according to a source, was not the only taxidermy item in his West Wing office.

White House adviser Peter Navarro leaves the West Wing of the White House with a photo of US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington, the United States, Jan.13, 2021.
Some staff members also keep the posters that have adorned the walls of the West Wing with images of key moments from the past four years, with some available for purchase at the White House photo office for $ 25, according to one. former White House official. Business adviser Peter Navarro was seen carrying such an acquisition, a photo of President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

It’s not uncommon for staff departing from the White House to catch a souvenir or two on the way out. Bill Clinton’s staff removed the “W” keys from keyboards prior to George W. Bush’s inauguration.

In previous departures, the anchor-adorned door handles of Eisenhower’s executive office building were gone before the inauguration day, said Jonathan Wackrow, former Secret Service agent and law enforcement analyst. CNN.

But, Wackrow noted, officers in the Uniforms Division of the U.S. Secret Service are generally put on high alert over the next few days – checking bags to prevent the departure of any essential equipment.

CNN’s Kate Bennett, Kaitlan Collins and Jim Acosta contributed to this report.



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