Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is holding to his account that vandals caused the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, even after the U.S. Attorney's office filed court documents suggesting the real culprit was a faulty installation. The dispute has opened a rare rift between President Trump and one of his loyal appointees, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Trump, who has repeatedly blamed "vandals" for the pool's peeling sealant and algae blooms, expressed anger at Pirro on Monday, saying she "folded like an umbrella" under pressure from a judge. "Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her department," Trump told reporters. "I guess she choked. I don't know what the hell happened."
Pirro's office initially charged former Olympic skier David Hearn with felony destruction of property over damage to the pool's seal coating. But in a filing last week, prosecutors said the Interior Department had provided documents showing the damage was the result of a botched installation, not vandalism. The filing cited an internal email from a National Park Service engineer who flagged peeling concerns eight days before Hearn's arrest.
Burgum pushed back on social media, insisting that "the evidence is clear, vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool," and that his department provided the U.S. Attorney's office with expert and eyewitness testimony. He also noted that some acts of vandalism were caught on camera.
The conflict highlights the administration's aggressive push to "beautify" Washington, D.C., a project that has drawn scrutiny over no-bid contracts and mismanagement. Trump has made the Reflecting Pool renovation a personal priority, but the project has faced repeated setbacks, including massive algae blooms and peeling coating.
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee, criticized the administration's handling, calling it "an immutable pattern where Trump lies, and then all of these sycophants around him embrace the lie." He said Democrats plan to investigate the contracting process if they retake the House, noting that the administration has used no-bid contracts for the pool work—a practice he called "the go-to corruption tool."
Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America's Parks, described the situation as a mix of "incompetence and corruption," adding that Burgum has not been transparent. "I'm not sure Burgum had a lot of credibility to lose," she said.
Republicans have largely stayed quiet on the matter. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said he's unsure whether Trump truly believes vandals were responsible. Meanwhile, CNN reported that a "furious" Trump is considering replacing Pirro as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Trump's anger at Pirro marks a notable shift for a president who has often praised her, including during his hush-money trial in 2024, where Burgum also defended him. The White House declined to comment beyond Trump's social media posts, and the Interior Department did not respond to requests for comment.
As the dispute unfolds, the Reflecting Pool remains a symbol of the administration's broader efforts to reshape the nation's capital—and the controversies that have followed. The court filing is the latest blow to those efforts, which have faced criticism from Democrats and watchdog groups alike.
