Part of the Lincoln Memorial was defaced with red paint and profanity today, the National Park Service said.

Cleanup began after 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, when park staff found the monument in Washington, D.C., had been vandalized, according to the NBC 4 news station.

"F--- law" was scrawled in red spray paint on one of the monument's pillars.

A preservation crew is working to remove the spray paint without damaging the stone.

The Lincoln Memorial, which depicts former President Abraham Lincoln, attracts millions of visitors each year and is overseen by the National Parks Service.