Trump rejects Justice Department findings on Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool damage
US President Donald Trump has publicly rejected the findings of his own Justice Department after federal prosecutors concluded that construction problems, rather than vandalism, were responsible for damage to the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump said he strongly disagreed with US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and insisted that vandals were responsible for the damage. He argued that although there may have been issues with the construction work, the main cause of the deterioration was deliberate vandalism.
The disagreement follows a court filing submitted on Friday by Jeanine Pirro and Assistant US Attorney Michael Spence, who asked a judge to dismiss the government’s case against David Hearn, a 67 year old former Olympian. Hearn had been accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool, an allegation that became part of a wider debate over the Trump administration’s renovation project in the nation’s capital.
According to the filing, newly received documents from the Department of the Interior showed that the problems were linked to a rushed and defective installation process. Prosecutors said the pool’s lining experienced repeated failures during construction and that extensive peeling occurred across the surface because of installation defects rather than intentional damage.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool underwent a renovation costing around 14.7 million dollars. Soon after the project was completed, the site experienced several problems, including algae growth that turned the water green and sections of the blue lining peeling away. The issues attracted public criticism and raised questions about the quality of the renovation work.
Throughout the controversy, Trump repeatedly claimed that vandals had deliberately damaged the pool. Following the Justice Department’s decision to withdraw the case, he continued to defend that position. In another social media post, the president shared previously released video footage from the US Park Police that he said supported his claim. He argued that the footage showed people damaging the Reflecting Pool while maintenance workers were cleaning algae from the water.
However, the video does not clearly show acts of vandalism. It remains unclear whether the individuals seen in the footage were intentionally damaging the lining or simply handling material that had already begun peeling because of the reported construction flaws.
The Justice Department has not publicly responded to Trump’s criticism. Jeanine Pirro’s office also did not immediately comment on the president’s remarks.
The dispute highlights a rare public disagreement between President Trump and his own administration’s legal team. While federal prosecutors have concluded that faulty construction caused the damage, the president continues to argue that criminal vandalism was primarily responsible, keeping the controversy surrounding the renovation project in the public spotlight.
