Park Service Echoes Trump’s Reflecting Pool ‘Vandalism’ Accusations in Court Filing

The National Park Service alleged in court documents filed this week that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool sustained “destruction of delaminating surface material” and that an undisclosed portion of its fresh caulk was cut “with a sharp knife or razor” days after the renovations were completed earlier this month.

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U.S. Park Police observed the damage on June 9, according to the court documents. The court filings also allege that “approximately 70 fence post tops” were thrown into the Reflecting Pool. It is unclear whether that also occurred on the same day.

The affidavit submitted by Frank Lands, the park service’s deputy director for operations, under penalty of perjury, mirrors President Donald Trump’s repeated accusations that vandals used a knife to leave a long gash in the pool stretching, depending on when Trump has talked about it, 250 feet to 300 feet, and now, 350 feet long.

Trump also said chemicals were “illegally placed in the water,” which has turned green in parts because of what experts say is an algae bloom. Three ducks were found dead in the vicinity, but toxicology reports have yet to determine a cause.

Lands’ court filing did not detail other acts of vandalism nor did it specify the scale of the damage to the caulking. No further evidence has been released by the White House to support its claims.

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The White House said on Thursday at least seven people have been arrested on suspicion of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool, including former three-time Olympian David Hearn, who denied wrongdoing. Hearn told ABC News on Sunday that he only “reached out and touched” a peeling piece of paint but otherwise did not “rip, tear, break, destroy or harm any part of the Reflecting Pool.”

Park Police released surveillance footage of an individual reaching into the Reflecting Pool on June 19 at around 3:36 p.m. Park Police said they were seeking to identify the individual in connection with an investigation into destruction of government property, though it was unclear what the person was doing in the short and blurry video clip.

Authorities are also investigating a sizable imprint of the numbers “8647” on the grass on the National Mall, a numerical sequence interpreted by the White House as a threat against Trump.

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