President Donald Trump on Sunday acknowledged for the first time that contractor error contributed to peeling paint at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, while maintaining that vandalism was also responsible for some of the damage.
“As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening, but it was a very small area of this massive Pool, and was relatively inconsequential,” Trump said in a social media post.
The acknowledgment follows weeks of controversy surrounding work on the landmark pool, where more than $14 million was spent on a project that included changing the color of the pool before portions of the new coating began peeling.
Trump had previously attributed the damage primarily to vandalism. Four people were arrested in connection with the matter, including David “Davey” Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist who faced the only felony charge.
In his latest post, Trump continued to argue that at least some of the damage was deliberate, saying a National Park Service employee witnessed Hearn ripping and tugging at the coating.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro dismissed the charges against Hearn last week after her office concluded that the peeling resulted from faulty workmanship rather than vandalism.
At the time Hearn was indicted, Pirro had stated, “He damaged the pool.”
Prosecutors later took a different position. In seeking dismissal of the case, they wrote that the damage was “a result of flawed installation by the contractor” and said the Department of the Interior had not previously informed prosecutors about problems with the installation.
Hearn has maintained his innocence, saying he was riding his bicycle near the Reflecting Pool in June when he touched a portion of the coating that was already detached. He may pursue legal action against the federal government.
His attorney, Norman Eisen, chairman of the Democracy Defenders Fund, said the accusations had taken a significant toll on Hearn.
“As you can imagine, when the most powerful people in the world say you could be going to prison for up to 10 years, make false claims about you, that’s profoundly unsettling. But Davey Hearn is a three-time Olympian, multiple times world champion and canoeist. And he is maintaining a fighting attitude.”
Separately, the National Park Service announced that temporary fencing surrounding the Reflecting Pool will remain in place longer than initially planned as work continues.
The fencing had been expected to come down Monday. The agency now plans to keep it in place until Sept. 10, while sidewalks surrounding the pool remain closed to the public.
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