Daniel Wolfram
After Trump repeatedly blamed vandals for ruining the reflecting pool, a newly uncovered document shows the contractor has taken full responsibility for the botched repairs.
The reflecting pool saga that has gone on for months on end may be coming to an end.
The pool at the Washington Monument that was supposed to be restored for the country’s 250th anniversary was botched completely. Trump immediately blamed vandals for intentionally destroying the newly renovated pool.
Now there is news about the reflecting pool that seems to be the final nail in the coffin. The most likely outcome is not the way the president wants this to end.
Atlantic Industrial Coatings admits its own fault
Internal documents obtained by The New York Times show that flawed repair work, not deliberate sabotage, ruined the reflecting pool’s new lining.
Atlantic Industrial Coatings was tapped to do the original work on the pool. The leaked documents show that the company has admitted “human oversight” during the application of the liner that would make the pool’s color “American flag blue.”
Furthermore, the company mixed two incompatible chemicals together, which then became too hot, causing the paint to peel off.
Trump blamed ‘vandals’
Donald Trump repeatedly insisted that “sick people” destroyed the pool’s blue surface using knives and razors. Trump pressed the issue so much that his United States Attorney Jeanine Pirro charged the former Olympian David Hearn with vandalism after he was caught on camera looking at the pool and putting his hand in it.
Eventually, there was not sufficient evidence, so Pirro had to drop all charges. This made Trump furious, and he almost fired Pirro after insulting her and saying she “folded like an umbrella.”
Pirro tried to cover her own back by arguing that government officials had misled her legal team regarding a “botched installation.”
The White House still claims vandalism
This new report by the New York Times has not changed the Trump administration’s mind.
In a statement, Interior Department spokesperson Katie Martin defended the official narrative, claiming vandals “repeatedly reached into the pool and ripped at the coating.”
She added that the contractor is “well on its way” to repairing the site. The reflecting pool is still drained and has been without water since July 10.
A contractor within Trump’s inner circle got the gig
The Trump administration bypassed the standard public procurement laws that are required for government contracts and gave a $14.7 million exclusive no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings.
The plan was partly orchestrated by a general manager at one of Trump’s golf clubs. David Schutzenhofer, an employee of the Trump Organization, which is the president’s private company, was instrumental in designing the deal.
Schutzenhofer is a hospitality manager with no prior experience or degree in architecture or engineering. He did not become a temporary government employee during the process, which meant he did not have to swear an oath to avoid conflicts of interest.
