Topics: Donald Trump, Washington, News, US News
The National Park Service has given a key update on its investigation into the supposed vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump announced that six people have been arrested over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the president’s $14 million renovation project gone awry becomes a flashpoint ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
In a social media post, Trump claimed without offering any supporting evidence that there had been a '350 foot gash' in the paint as the administration faces a self-imposed deadline to fix the botched renovation before the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration next week.
He also warned that vandals can face up to ten years in prison for damaging public property.
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Trump wrote: "Please remember that there is a 10 year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things - Which will be fully enforced!"
The president failed to give any evidence to back his vandalism claims, but now the National Park Service (NPS) has weighed in on it all and confirmed that a liner along the bottom of the Reflecting Pool was 'cut with a sharp knife or razor'.
Deputy director of operations for the park service Frank Lands said in a court filing on Thursday (June 25) that US Park Police had responded to a report of an incident on June 9 regarding the pool's liner, says BBC News.
The gash in the lining is said to have caused damage to the pool's foam sealant. According to Lands, a US Park Police report indicated damage 'including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material'.
"Approximately 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool," the recent court filing adds. The statement in the court filing is part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organisation seeking to stop the Trump administration's work on the site.
To fix the issue, the NPS 'plans to begin draining the reflecting pool following the Independence Day celebration to conduct repairs, including assessing and repairing any damage to the lining'.
The alleged vandalism comes after the Reflecting Pool's water turned green from algae shortly after renovation works were completed. Park service workers were then called in to remove clumps of algae from the water.
While the NPS has confirmed that the pool was damaged, this vandalism is unlikely to have cause the water to change color.
Speaking to PBS News, experts said: "Algae is a naturally occurring, microscopic organism that feeds off nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
"It's likely the water used to refill the Reflecting Pool had enough of those nutrients for the algae to grow."
