'Herb Kohl Way' memorial covered by 'Donald J. Trump Way' sticker ahead of RNC

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- As workers dressed the Deer District Friday night with GOP signage ahead of next week's Republican National Convention, one decoration was "Donald J. Trump Way" stickers that were placed over a memorial "Herb Kohl Way" sign at the south end of the plaza.

Kohl was a longtime Democratic senator, representing Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate between 1989 and 2013. As the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, he required the team remain in Milwaukee as a condition of the team's sale in 2013 to New York hedge fund operators, Wes Edens and Marc Lasry.

When he sold the Bucks, Kohl pledged $100 million toward construction of the downtown arena that became Fiserv Forum. The team's new ownership paid $174 million while the public covered the rest of the cost, which exceeded $500 million.

Kohl died last December at the age of 88. 

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley slammed the decoration on social media, posting on X, "This is a slap in the face to every Wisconsinite. If you can't respect what Herb Kohl has done for Wisconsin you don't deserve any Wisconsin vote. Period!"

By 7:00 p.m., reporters from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel went to check out the sign and, by then, the "Trump Way" stickers had been taken down.

Neither the Republican National Committee nor the Republican Party of Wisconsin responded to questions Friday night asking whose idea it was to cover the Kohl memorial sign.

The Bucks also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CBS 58 also left messages for Herb Kohl Philanthropies.