Daniel Wolfram
The story of the Reflecting Pool’s botched repairs is a story that will not go away. This is partly because Trump insists on foul play. But now a new revelation seemingly puts that conspiracy to bed.
What was supposed to be a quick and easy renovation to commemorate the 250th birthday of the United States of America is turning into quite the nightmare for Donald Trump.
The president was quick to announce the great new renovation done by a company he personally handpicked.
When the renovation was ultimately botched, Trump tried to find a scapegoat. But now it turns out his administration was warned beforehand.
Cracks in the case
The Attorney General’s office had previously brought criminal destruction charges against former Olympic athlete David Hearn over alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Investigators initially claimed that Hearn intentionally vandalized the newly renovated pool during a visit to the nation’s capital. However, email records submitted to the court on Wednesday revealed that government officials knew about structural peeling long before Hearn visited the pool.
According to court filings from the Justice Department, a National Park Service engineer alerted staff about the problem on June 11. The specialist explained in an email that the “top layer of liner has peeled,” adding that the damage was “very thin and will not impact the strength of the liner.”
The engineer warned that the flaw could “lead to a 1′-2′ strip that is vulnerable to peeling.”
Blame and backlash
Despite his administration receiving the warning, Donald Trump publicly accused visitors of “destroying” the landmark shortly after it reopened. Federal prosecutors moved forward with charges anyway.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence made the admission in court. “These statements cast significant doubt on whether the defendant caused damage to the lining,” Spence wrote.
He conceded that the late records would “sabotage the government’s ability to meet its burden of proof.”
Trump will not let this go
Following the revelations, United States Attorney Jeanine Pirro dropped the case on July 31. Prosecutors noted that the new evidence destroyed “the evidentiary basis for the indictment” by linking the peeling directly to contractor errors.
The withdrawal triggered an immediate reaction from Donald Trump. He publicly claimed Pirro made a “mistake” by abandoning the charges.
Meanwhile, defense lawyers are asking a judge to permanently stop any future “politically motivated prosecution” against Hearn, since it seems like Trump will not quit trying to put the blame on various vandals for the botched renovation at the Reflecting Pool.
