The Trump administration's attempt to cover up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as it undergoes repairs following alleged "vandalism" backfired when high winds revealed the sad sight of it, now drained and surrounded by a fence with a tarp on it.
The renovation of the Reflecting Pool has become a debacle, marked by recurring algae blooms, workers resorting to pouring hydrogen peroxide into the water to combat the problem, and a political blame game in which some Republicans have attempted to pin responsibility for the mess on Democrats.
To make matters worse, paint has reportedly begun peeling from the floor of the Reflecting Pool. The New York Times linked the problem to a $14.7 million no-bid contract awarded to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings under a claim of urgent need.
The company was hired to apply a blue waterproof coating to the pool's concrete floor, but the coating has since shown signs of deterioration, raising further questions about the emergency contracting process and the quality of the work performed.
Trump has gone so far as to claim that "vandals" used "probably a box cutter or a knife of some kind" to make a "slit" in the pool's paint job, though he did not provide any proof to back this up.
Notably, after defending his administration's work on the Reflecting Pool, he said he "can't help it if somebody goes in with a knife and starts hacking it up." He claimed evidence would be presented "in court" and that reporters should simply reach out to the Parks Department to find out more.
After ABC News reported that Trump continued to blame vandals for the peeling paint and other problems at the Reflecting Pool, while noting that he "provided no evidence of vandalism himself," he threatened to file a lawsuit against the network.
Writer Amee Vanderpool shared footage of the blowing tarp surrounding the Reflecting Pool and remarked:
"So, the Trump administration put up some kind of half-assed tarp, presumably to block the view of the reflecting pool, and it looks like it's working about as well as everything else Trump has touched."
You can see her post and the video below.
Many concurred.
Vanderpool's video went viral as a Washington, D.C., judge cautioned the Trump administration that it could be "operating at its own peril" if work continues at the Reflecting Pool while evidence is being preserved for the upcoming trial of former Olympian David Hearn.
Hearn, who has pleaded not guilty to a felony vandalism charge stemming from an alleged June incident at the Reflecting Pool, is scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 28. During a hearing, D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman questioned why officials would not maintain the site in its current condition and warned the government "not do anything further" while the case is pending.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Reddington said prosecutors had requested that the government preserve the area but acknowledged they could not control decisions made by other agencies. If convicted, Hearn faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
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