Trump acknowledged that the repairs to the reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial were rushed
U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged that the renovation of the reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington was rushed, but reiterated that some of the damage was caused by vandals. He wrote about this on Truth Social, according to The Guardian.
According to Trump, the contractor made mistakes while trying to finish painting the $14 million reflecting pool in time for its scheduled July 4 opening. He claims that the consequences of the rushed work were limited to a very small and relatively insignificant area.
At the same time, Trump reiterated his claim that more extensive damage to the pool’s blue lining was allegedly caused by vandals. He cited the testimony of an unnamed U.S. National Park Service employee, whom he described as an eyewitness. According to Trump, this employee saw former Olympic canoeist David Gurn tearing up the pool’s tiling. The president also stated that there is no video evidence of other damage, and that surveillance cameras are already being installed at the site.
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Last month, the office of U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Janine Pirro filed a motion to dismiss criminal charges against Hearn and several others who had been accused of vandalism. Pirro’s office informed the court that it had concluded that a significant portion of the defects resulted from the improper and hasty application of the coating by Atlantic Industrial Coatings, rather than from intentional damage.
Trump criticized Pirro’s decision and stated that he completely disagreed with it. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Bergham, whose department oversees the National Park Service, also stated on social media that his department had provided the prosecution with expert opinions and eyewitness testimony regarding the alleged vandalism. At the same time, Pirro’s office noted that when the charges were filed on July 2, prosecutors had limited information, but later received documents regarding installation issues with the pool lining, which weakened the prosecution’s case.
The pool had been drained and painted blue in preparation for the U.S. 250th anniversary celebrations. After the damage was discovered, it was cordoned off; officials stated that the site would not reopen before September 10. The repair contract was awarded without a competitive bidding process due to the tight deadline, and its cost rose from an initial estimate of less than $2 million to over $16 million.
