What a new Justice Department filing says about the ‘botched’ Reflecting Pool renovation
The filing cites weather delays, material shortages and testing failures, saying the $14 million renovation was rushed and flawed.
- On Friday, the Justice Department dropped vandalism charges against former Olympian David Hearn, blaming rushed installation rather than criminal damage for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's deterioration during President Donald Trump's $14 million renovation.
- Trump's demand to complete the nearly 340,000-square-foot pool before America's 250th birthday on July Fourth drove costs nearly seven times above the $1.8 million estimate, overwhelming Virginia-based contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings with weather delays and material shortages.
- National Park Service engineers flagged peeling along the pool perimeter by June 11, warning the 'overspray could lead to a 1-to-2-foot strip that is vulnerable to peeling,' while algae blooms one day after refilling required a $1.7 million treatment.
- After prosecutors reviewed damage July 17 and received documents showing 'rushed and flawed installation' with 'extensive peeling,' D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro abandoned the case, contradicting weeks of vandalism claims from Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
- Trump publicly disagreed '100%' with Pirro, insisting vandals caused the deterioration, while Burgum maintained the government could 'absolutely prove' vandalism with photographs despite dodging questions about whether images showed actual damage.
51 Articles
51 Articles
New records reveal installation issues behind Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool damage
The Justice Department has dropped its criminal case against four people accused damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after newly disclosed government records revealed the damage may have been caused by a rushed, flawed installation—not vandalism.
'Horribly embarrassing': Jeanine Pirro's Reflecting Pool catastrophe shredded by expert
President Donald Trump's crusade to prosecute imaginary "vandalism" of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is a massive humiliation for his administration, former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams told a CNN panel on Monday.This whole episode, he said, is "embarrassing for [D.C. prosecutor] Jeanine Pirro ... it's also embarrassing for the Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum. It's embarrassing for the President of the United States. It's emb…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 78% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
