The incidents triggered a major security surge at the site weeks after a $14.8M restoration was completed
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Former Olympian arrested after bizarre confrontation at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Former Olympian David Hearn denied wrongdoing after being arrested and charged with destruction of government property Friday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. (Credit/Emily Miller)
Multiple people have been arrested this weekend after allegedly vandalizing the newly refurbished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, prompting a strong response from President Donald Trump and an increase in security at the site.
In a statement on Truth Social Saturday night, Trump announced “many additional people” have been arrested after suspects “took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete.”
The president also alleged suspects “poured corrosive and destructive chemicals” into the basin.
“It hasnβt looked or worked like this since 1922, when it was originally built, but even then, it leaked badly, and didnβt work,” Trump wrote in the post. “Ours worked perfectly, including the mirror like finish, perfectly reflecting the two Great Monuments, which it never had before! What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly.”
TRUMP SAYS VANDALS USED CHEMICALS TO DAMAGE NEWLY RENOVATED REFLECTING POOL NEAR LINCOLN MEMORIAL
National Park Service employees and contractors use vacuums to remove green algae from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Thursday, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Trump said administration officials met with contractors Saturday and will likely need to drain “much of the water” in order to do the necessary repairs.
It is unclear if the contractors mentioned are the same ones initially employed to carry out the renovations.
“[We] will have them done as quickly as possible,” the president wrote. “What they have damaged does not even include the earlier killing of a large amount of grass which was, by far, the least of it.
“β¦ The Reflecting Pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago, even going back to 1922 when it opened. We are very proud of what we have done with this magnificent structure, and we will get it repaired, quickly, to an equal level of Beauty.”
The announcement came as the administration faces scrutiny over peeling paint and algae growth just weeks after a $14.8 million restoration project was completed.
While Trump did not specify who was responsible for the alleged gash in the lining and subsequent peeling, multiple arrests were documented over the weekend by local
