Carried by Debbie Meadows, wife of White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, the taxidermy bird was removed from Meadows’ West Wing office, among other boxes and souvenirs from his time in administration, and placed in the trunk of an SUV .
Questions abounded on Thursday after a trio of unidentified masked officials carried a bronze bust of President Abraham Lincoln outside the door of the West Wing. Who does it belong to? And where, precisely, did it go?
Items such as Lincoln’s sculpture were borrowed from the official White House collection and are part of a documented process in which thousands of pieces of art, decorative art, sculpture, porcelain, silver and other items are historically preserved.
These items are available for the incoming president and first lady to select at the beginning of a new term, as the Trumps did in 2017.
In the move, there is a systematic return of the items loaned to the White House Historical Association, which, together with the chief porter and curator of the White House, collects the items from the collection.
“To all concerned with the media photos of items coming out of the White House: The White House chief, Usher and the curator, are responsible for managing and rendering account of the White House collection in each presidency. They are a exemplary team of career professionals and should have our confidence in fulfilling their responsibility, “said White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin in a statement.
The curator is Lydia Tederick, according to the White House Historical Association, which “has worked in the Curator’s Office for over thirty years and is the eighth professional to occupy this position”.
Tederick reports to Chief Porter Timothy Harleth, a former Trump Hotel employee who is now a career employee. Harleth “essentially serves as general manager of the White House’s residence and operations and oversees the Collection,” according to the association.
“Remember that employees have their own items that they brought to the White House and can take those items home whenever they want. Some items are on loan to employees and offices in other collections and will be returned to those collections,” said McLaurin.
As for the majestic Meadows bird, the pheasant is a personal effect and was previously in his office at the Capitol and, a source said, was not the only piece of taxidermy in his office in the west wing.
It is not uncommon for employees leaving the White House to get one or two souvenirs when they leave. Bill Clinton’s team removed “W” keys from keyboards before George W. Bush’s inauguration.
During previous games, Eisenhower Executive Office Building anchor door handles disappeared before Induction Day, said former Secret Service agent and CNN analyst Jonathan Wackrow.
But, Wackrow noted, US Secret Service Uniform Division officials are often on high alert for the next few days – checking their bags to prevent any essential equipment from leaving.
CNN’s Kate Bennett, Kaitlan Collins and Jim Acosta contributed to this report.