Trump persists in claiming Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized, despite charges dropped

Published Aug 5, 03:42 PM UTC

President Donald Trump continues to assert that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized, contradicting D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's admission in court that no vandalism occurred. Speaking to reporters in Los Angeles, Trump defended the renovation contractor and claimed video evidence and witnesses exist, though no such evidence was presented in charging documents and the DOJ's main witness actually undermined the case. All charges against those accused, including former Olympian David Hearn, have been dropped. The article reports that Trump, Pirro, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had a screaming match at the White House over the case. The pool's damage was caused by hydrogen peroxide used by contractor Greenwater Services to kill algae, which caused Trump's chosen paint to peel. Trump was noncommittal about whether Pirro would keep her job.