President Donald Trump on Aug. 1 again blamed vandalism for damage to the iconic Reflecting Pool, criticizing a Department of Justice filing that said evidence shows it was actually faulty renovation work that caused the high-profile peeling paint problems.
The latest twist in the reflecting pool saga started on July 31 when the DOJ said it was moving to drop charges against former Olympian David Hearn, who was arrested and charged in June with causing more than $1,000 worth of vandalism damage to the pool. He said he didn't cause any damage and only reached into the pool to touch an already torn piece of paint.
The damage was due to "botched installation," not vandalism, the DOJ said in the new court filing.
It marked an abrupt change for Trump
administration officials, who have repeatedly blamed peeling paint on alleged vandalism. President Donald Trump said slashes 300 yards long were made in the lining and then it was forcefully pulled up, calling it "purposefully and criminally done." Trump said multiple people were to blame for damaging the "American flag blue" paint, a color he took credit for choosing.
Trump criticized the DOJ for dropping the case on Aug. 1, saying he disagreed "100%" with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who wrote the court filing to drop the charges against Hearn. He said the damage was done by knife or box cutter, though acknowledged there "may have been some contractor difficulty."
USA TODAY has reached out to the DOJ for comment on the developments.
Here's how routine renovations at an iconic site spiraled into a high-profile clash within the Trump administration:
What happened at the Reflecting Pool? A timeline
The Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial in the nation's capital has a long history of renovations and an unfortunate susceptibility to unsightly algae blooms. The recent controversy stems from an ambitious plan announced by Trump to revitalize the landmark, which was first built in the early 1920s. Two companies were awarded about $16 million in contracts to do the work, despite Trump's initial estimate that it would cost $1.5 million, USA TODAY previously reported.
Here's how everything unfolded.
April 23: Trump announced plans to transform the Reflecting Pool, saying it had been subject to complaints about leaks and lack of cleanliness. Algae has been a recurring problem for decades, records and reporting shows. Trump said he ordered the bottom to be painted "American Flag Blue," a deep navy. The National Park Service said the color would improve the pool's reflective qualities. Work was to include draining, cleaning and refinishing.
May 7: While work was underway on the pool, Trump visited the site of the renovations, driving in his motorcade over the bottom of the emptied pool.
May 11: The nonprofit Cultural Landscape Foundation filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior over the renovation project, claiming that it violated federal law by not undergoing the proper review process to make changes to historic places.
June: The Reflecting Pool work was completed and the pool was refilled in early June. Soon, algae returned in the water, giving the Reflecting Pool a green cast. Workers added hydrogen peroxide to the water and used a nanobubble filtration system. Within a couple weeks, damage to the pool's liner was apparent.
June 18: Photos at the Reflecting Pool show portions of the blue layer of the pool tearing away and floating in the pool.
June 19: Hearn was arrested at the site of the Reflecting Pool. He told the Washington Post he reached into the Reflecting Pool and was able to "grab" an end of an already "flapping piece" but didn't cause further damage.
July 2: Pirro said at a press conference that witnesses saw a "violent effort" to rip the sealant from the bottom of the pool by Hearn, and said she could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he caused damage.
July 4: The Reflecting Pool was cordoned off during Fourth of July celebrations and days later was seen being drained again. As of July 30, it was still empty, photos showed.
What have Trump administration officials said?
Trump and Pirro were adamant that vandalism was the cause of damage to the Reflecting Pool liner. Trump repeatedly made comments about the alleged vandalism on social media.
"It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night, to create such a condition," Trump said on June 23.
But Pirro said in the July 31 filing to drop Hearn's charges that damage "was the result of flawed installation by the contractor ... and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026."
The filing said that it was only after Hearn's indictment that the Department of the Interior provided Pirro's office with documents "showing that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented."
The documents pointed toward "a rushed and flawed installation process, with repeated failures of the lining during the installation process, and extensive peeling of the lining throughout the Reflecting Pool," the July 31 filing said.
USA TODAY previously obtained court documents that show the only grand jury witness, a Park Service official, testified that there was already damage to the Reflecting Pool before Hearn touched it.
Trump said Aug. 1 he believes vandals are to blame.
"I don’t know what she (Pirro) was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM," Trump said in a social media post on Aug. 1, after the motion to drop the charges was filed. Trump also cited a huge "8647" marking that appeared on the National Mall in June as another example of vandalism he believes is related.
"There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!" Trump said.
Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers, Dinah Voyles Pulver and Michelle Del Rey, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Botched installation' or 'vandalism'? Reflecting pool saga rages on
