The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool will be drained again as President Trump attributes recent damage to vandalism rather than construction failures, claiming five arrests have been made with five more under investigation.
Trump told reporters Monday that vandals used knives to slash the pool's newly painted surface, describing the damage variously as a 290 to 300-foot slit before revising it upward to 350 feet. He also alleged someone dumped fertilizer in the water to trigger algae blooms that began appearing weeks after the $14 million renovation.
The president offered no evidence for his claims. When pressed by reporters, he directed them to contact the Department of the Interior and National Park Service, neither of which responded to inquiries about the alleged vandalism or arrests.
The pool's troubles began shortly after Trump's renovation project aimed to paint the basin in a dark navy shade called "Old Glory Blue" in preparation for the nation's 250th birthday. The contractor, selected through a no-bid contract with a company Trump said had handled pool work at his golf clubs, completed the job quickly. Within days, green algae plagued the standing water and the paint coating began peeling away.
Reporters visiting the pool on Sunday found no visible evidence of knife damage, according to accounts of their observations. Olympic cyclist David Hearn reported being arrested by US Park Police on a misdemeanor charge after touching a piece of peeling paint liner out of curiosity.
When questioned about how vandals could access a highly secure monument with heavy police presence, Trump suggested security was insufficient at the time. "Who would think that somebody would go into a pool and take a knife and start cutting it?" he said.
A temporary permit issued June 16 by the DC Water Authority allows the National Park Service to discharge pool water into a local sewer system feeding a treatment facility. The permit expires July 2, though no official timeline for the draining has been announced.
Trump previously posted on social media warning of a 10-year prison sentence for destruction or attempted destruction of such federal property, which aligns with actual law allowing maximum sentences of that length for federal property damage.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's pivot from contractor failure to vandal conspiracy strains credibility when reporters see nothing and arrests go unconfirmed."
Comments