Trump insists that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized, acknowledges some mistakes by the contractors
The president also mentioned other alleged acts of sabotage, such as the use of an acid-like substance on the newly installed lawn, where the numbers "86 47".
The Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial, now empty
President Donald Trump on Sunday intensified his criticism of the decision to drop the vandalism case involving the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial. In a post on Truth Social, he shared excerpts from court documents in which an employee of the National Park Service describes how former Olympian David Hearn "violently" ripped off and threw away a large portion of the pool's blue lining.
According to the employee's testimony, identified as W-1, Hearn approached the area, recorded or photographed the damage, and then knelt down, put both hands under the water, and began pulling hard on the material. The employee ordered him to stop and notified the police, but Hearn replied that park staff were "awfully sensitive about the pool" and continued until soldiers from the National Guard arrived.
Trump insists the damage was deliberate
The president described the employee as "a highly credible witness", and argued that this account proves that at least some of the damage was deliberate, beyond the installation errors acknowledged by the contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which worked around the clock for the July 4th celebrations and the America 250 anniversary.
Trump also mentioned other alleged acts of sabotage, such as the use of an acid-like substance on the newly installed lawn, where "86 47" was reportedly written.
The president said repair work continues and more security cameras are installed in the area.
Trump questions the dismissal of the case against Hearn
Prosecutors later argued that they had received only incomplete reports from the Department of the Interior and that subsequent documents revealed installation flaws by the contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings, exacerbated by the Fourth of July and America 250 celebrations.
According to them, had they had that information, they would not have sought the indictment, as it was difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hearn caused the alleged damage. The case was dismissed without prejudice, leaving open the possibility of new charges.
Trump has reiterated his complete disagreement with Pirro and has used the testimony of the National Park employee to insist that the damage was not solely due to construction errors.
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