By Paul Preston, AENN

Following President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is seen tearing up the official State of the Union speech presented to her by the President.

Never in the history of the State of the Union has there ever been a “mutilation” of the official State of the Union address.

Below is the law 18 U.S. Code 2071

18 U.S. Code §?2071.Concealment, removal, or mutilation generally

prev | next(a)Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.(b)Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States. As used in this subsection, the term “office” does not include the office held by any person as a retired officer of the Armed Forces of the United States.(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 795; Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title V, §?552(a), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1566; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §?330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)