Documents Undercut Trump's $16.4 Million Reflecting Pool Vandalism Claim
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 23
Documents Undercut Trump's $16.4 Million Reflecting Pool Vandalism Claim
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 23
Summary
Government documents reviewed by The New York Times show cuts found at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool were not directly tied to the peeling blue coating or the algae bloom Trump blamed on vandals.
June 9 records said Park Service workers found holes, cracks and peeling caulking days after the pool was refilled, while a Park Police report described cuts along a 20-foot stretch of foam but did not establish who made them.
By June 16, workers had also documented chunks of blue sealant peeling off the pool bottom and floating to the surface, indicating a separate failure from damage to foam in the expansion joints.
The records also show officials were publicly describing the renovated pool as pristine even as crews were already trying to fix the deteriorating conditions.