A top National Park Service official has declared that the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool sustained deliberate damage from a sharp blade in the days after President Trump's $14.2 million renovation wrapped up, reasserting the administration's vandalism narrative as the high-profile project continues to unravel.
Frank Lands, NPS deputy director for operations, detailed the alleged cutting in a court filing Wednesday, stating that on June 9, after the renovation was substantially complete, park police responded to reports of pool damage. According to the filing, the liner suffered cuts to caulk and foam sealant that appeared made with "a sharp knife or razor," along with destruction of delaminating surface material. Lands also reported that approximately 70 fence post tops were thrown into the water.
The NPS said it plans to drain the pool after Independence Day celebrations to assess and repair any damage to the lining.
The Unraveling Project
Trump pitched the renovation as part of America's 250th birthday celebration, promising to turn the pool a patriotic "American flag blue." Within days of completion, an algae bloom turned the water green instead. NPS workers were deployed with skimmers and hydrogen peroxide in an attempt to salvage the water quality. Shortly after, large flakes of the blue coating began peeling from the basin and floating on the surface.
Trump blamed vandals over the weekend, claiming without details that "multiple individuals" had been arrested for "vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll." He has since alleged a 350-foot "gash" was cut through the site, but the administration has released no photographic or video evidence to support these claims despite mounting pressure to do so.
David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, was arrested Friday on a misdemeanor destruction of government property charge. Hearn told the Washington Post he was arrested after reaching into the water to feel a partly detached piece of liner that he had noticed. He denies the vandalism accusations.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that government documents it obtained showed NPS workers discovered two cuts in foam sections between the pool's expansion joints, but these cuts were unrelated to the peeling blue coating or algae bloom, and the cause remained unclear.
On Wednesday, US park police released a video seeking help identifying an individual in connection with a destruction of government property investigation at the pool on June 19. The footage shows someone reaching into the water and appearing to pull something out.
Author James Rodriguez: "The administration's vandalism claims keep shifting while the actual evidence stays locked away, making it harder to know what really went wrong at this troubled renovation."
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