Trump administration pressures NPS over $16 million Reflecting Pool repairs
The National Park Service faced intensified political pressure in Washington, D. C. , after the Trump administration criticized the $16 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Earlier, the White House asked the Justice Department to reconsider filing new charges against former Olympian David Hearn, whose federal vandalism indictment had been dismissed by U. S.
Attorney Jeanine Pirro and a federal judge. A House Judiciary Committee probe into the dismissal added further scrutiny, while President Donald Trump alternately blamed vandals and later acknowledged a contractor error contributed to the damage. The dispute began when Trump accused vandals of harming the pool, contradicting prosecutors who said the damage resulted from faulty installation. Subsequent court filings and public statements kept the controversy alive as the pool remained closed for repairs.
