The Reflecting Pool Has an Alibi
Your second, much more controversial presidential term is tanking bigger than anyone could have hoped for or expected, but the Reflecting Pool is the hill you want to die on.
It appears Donald Trump has found his patsy at the Parks Service, who is willing to help sell his version of how the reflecting pool at the Washington Monument was actually damaged. Even though the real culprit is nature, and anyone with an elementary understanding of standing water could tell you that creating a “fountain clean” appearance with no running water is a bad idea, Trump insists on being the victim in every scenario, even his own negligence.
What the Trump administration is trying to sell is that errant vandals with an anti-MAGA agenda cut a liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with a sharp knife or razor earlier this month. As a result, the foam sealant, which was installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, according to Frank Lands, a top official at the National Park Service.
Mr. Lands went so far as to digitally sign a statement to that effect that was notarized and submitted to the US District Court on Wednesday. According to Lands, the Department of the Interior reported the “June 9 incident” involving the alleged vandalism to the US Park Police. Lands’ testimony was submitted to the court late on Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the Trump administration’s work on the reflecting pool.
Read Frank Lands’ full testimony here:
According to Lands, the police report indicates damage to the pool, “including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material.” Roughly 70 fence post tops were also allegedly “thrown” into the pool, Lands also testified, without any explanation of how he saw those items actually deposited into the pool. Lands’ testimony above states that he alleges the vandalism he never actually saw occurred on June 9, 2026.
On June 24, the United States Park Service issued the following statement on social media with an accompanying video of an alleged “incident” involving vandalism:
“On BULLETIN/BOLO: The United States Park Police is seeking assistance in identifying the individual depicted here in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation. The incident occurred on June 19, 2026, at approximately 3:36 p.m. at the Reflecting Pool on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Anyone with information regarding the identity of this individual is asked to contact the United States Park Police Tip Line: USPP_TIPline@nps.gov or (202) 379-4877”
This testimony by a park official is the first time the Republican administration has offered any specific details concerning the reflecting pool, as Trump and other officials have continued their baseless claims against assorted “vandals” who had used razors and box cutters to slice a 350-foot gash in the liner, in addition to other problems. Six people have been arrested, Trump said this week in a Truth Social post, without providing any details about the arrests.
One man arrested was David Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, who owned a company that made composite and used to build watercraft. Hearn a former Olympic canoe racer, said he stopped by the pool during his 64-mile bike ride Friday to see what was going on and says he reached into the pool because he wanted to examine the peeling new coating.
Hearn said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker instructed him to do so. But, he was then detained by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being released Friday night. “I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn said in a telephone interview. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.”
Ladies and gentlemen of this public jury, I present to you the most important piece of evidence in this case, that has been purposely overlooked by the Trump administration. On May 7, 2026, after the reflecting pool was painted and sealed and before it was refilled with water as part of a renovation project, Donald Trump’s motorcade drove over the surface area. Here is a local NBC affiliate confirming the bizarre event when it happened:
It’s going to be very hard for the Trump administration to prove the problems with the reflecting pool stem solely from vandalism that has never been witnessed or proven. When you add to that the damage inflicted on the liner and the pool’s foundation when Donald Trump instructed his Secret Service motorcade to drive over the surface, you have no credible argument left that the supposed vandalism was the only contributing factor for the damage.
What’s more, the National Park System, at the direction of President Donald Trump, bypassed the competitive-bidding process that is typically required, and gave a $1.7 million contract to the firm, Green Water Services of Brookfield, Ohio. Green Water Services is owned by John J. Cafaro, who has previously donated to Trump.
In May, the Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) filed a lawsuit against the US Department of the Interior (DOI) over the Trump administration’s plans to paint the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue. Attorneys for the TCLF argue that the resurfacing of the historic pool is “unlawful” and that it should be restored to its original color until the administration follows congressionally mandated procedures to do the work.
Amee Vanderpool writes the SHERO Newsletter and is an attorney, published author, contributor to newspapers and magazines and analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.
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The lengths people will go to in order to try and cover his ass! It’s remarkable and actually sad…how low must your self esteem be that you would sign on to such a preposterous notion 🤬