Man says he sent gift-wrapped horse manure to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles-based child psychologist says he was responsible for sending the gift-wrapped box of horse manure that was addressed to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin over the weekend. Dr. Robert Strong spoke to AL.com and claimed the stunt was an "act of political theater."
Strong said Secret Service agents interviewed him at his home but did not arrest him.
CBS Los Angeles reported that the package was addressed to Mnuchin but was found at a neighbor's home, which police said raised alarms. LAPD officers, a bomb squad and the Secret Service poured into the area Saturday evening until determining that the package did not pose a threat.
Officials said Mnuchin was not in Los Angeles at the time.
Strong posted images to Facebook of a letter that he purportedly sent with the package. It read: "Mrs. Mnuchin & Trump, We're returning the 'gift' of the Christmas tax bill. It's bulls**t. Warmest wishes, The American People. P.S. -- Kiss Donald for me." He also posted several photos of the box and its contents that were time-stamped before the incident was reported to police.
Strong said he wanted to inspire the public to become more involved with politics. "The fact that [Republicans] can be so brazen and act with such impunity tells me that we have to be more brazen with our activism and maybe a bit more aggressive," he told AL.com.
A neighbor in upscale Los Angeles community, Prince Frederic von Anhalt, said he and others in the area were trapped for nearly two hours while police investigated the suspicious package.
"This is Bel Air. You have $50 million houses and all of a sudden we can't move? We can't go out?" he said. "That's bad. They have to find another way."