President Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damaging the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and a new court filing now backs up part of that claim by detailing knife damage investigators say they found shortly after the project was completed.
The filing says part of the pool’s liner was cut with a sharp knife or razor and that dozens of fence post caps had been thrown into the water. It does not identify who caused the damage, nor does it conclude that vandalism was responsible for every problem that has surfaced since the Reflecting Pool reopened.
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What investigators documented
Frank Lands, the National Park Service’s deputy director for operations, wrote that Park Police responded on June 9 after the agency reported damage discovered once work on the nearly $15 million rehabilitation project was substantially complete.
According to Lands’ sworn declaration, investigators “responded to an NPS report of damage to the reflecting pool, including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material.” He also said that about 70 fence post caps thrown into the Reflecting Pool.
Lands said he has personal knowledge of the events described in the filing and is prepared to testify if necessary.
Investigation continues
Until now, the administration had described the damage only in broad terms. The filing is the first public document to spell out what investigators say they found.
A day before the declaration became public, the U.S. Park Police released surveillance video showing a person near the Reflecting Pool on June 19 and asked for the public’s help identifying the individual in connection with a destruction of government property investigation.
Police have arrested six people and issued federal citations in separate incidents involving the Reflecting Pool. Officials have not said whether any of those cases are connected to the knife damage described in the filing.
What the filing doesn’t say
The declaration is specific about the cuts to the liner and the debris found in the pool. But it does not attribute the algae bloom or the broader peeling of the new coating to vandalism.
Those problems have complicated the nearly $15 million renovation since the Reflecting Pool reopened earlier this month.
Trump has argued that vandals were responsible for much of the damage, including what he described as a 350-foot gash in the liner, but the administration has not publicly released evidence supporting that broader claim.
The National Park Service says it plans to drain the Reflecting Pool after the Independence Day celebrations to inspect the liner more closely, repair damaged sections and determine whether additional work is needed.
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