The National Park Service has confirmed that the liner at the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was deliberately cut with a sharp knife or razor earlier this month, according to a sworn declaration filed Wednesday. The damage, which also included about 70 fence post tops tossed into the pool, has become a flashpoint in a broader legal battle over the Trump administration's renovation of the iconic landmark.
Frank Lands, the deputy director of operations at the National Park Service, stated in the court document that the liner's foam sealant was sliced with a sharp blade, and surface material was deliberately delaminated. The declaration was filed as part of an ongoing lawsuit challenging the administration's renovation efforts. Lands did not name a suspect or explicitly label the incident as vandalism, leaving that characterization to President Trump.
President Trump has been vocal in blaming what he called 'sick people' for the damage, asserting that the pool's liner was cut with sharp objects shortly after its multimillion-dollar renovation was completed. Hours after the president's remarks, the U.S. Park Police released surveillance footage from June 19, asking the public to help identify an individual seen in connection with the destruction of government property.
The incident has drawn political attention, with some Democrats pointing to the pool damage as part of a pattern of neglect under the Trump administration. Virginia Democrat Mark Warner, for instance, has noted the irony of more arrests for pool damage than for the Epstein case, as reported in a related story. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers have floated unconventional ideas, such as letting the pool revert to a wetland, as a Republican proposal suggests.
The Trump administration has doubled down on its vandalism theory despite a lack of conclusive evidence, as detailed in a separate piece. The ongoing investigation and legal proceedings are likely to keep the reflecting pool in the headlines as the 2024 election cycle heats up.
