Reflecting Pool Liner Was Cut by a Knife, Park Service Says

A top National Park Service official now has backed up President Trump's account that the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool didn't fall apart on its own. In a court filing on Wednesday, Deputy Director Frank Lands states that part of the pool's liner "was cut with a sharp knife or razor" on June 9 after a $14.2 million renovation was largely finished—echoing the president's claims of vandalism. Lands' statement, filed in a lawsuit aimed at halting Trump's renovation, describes sliced caulk over foam sealant and damage to surface material, the Guardian reports.

In addition, about 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool, Lands said, per the AP. An Interior Department spokesperson said Thursday that public notification about the damage was delayed because: "At the time of the June 9 incident, the vandalism was under investigation and believed to be isolated. So as not to encourage deranged individuals, we did not announce what we hoped to be an isolated incident." The Park Service plans to drain the pool after July 4 to inspect and repair the lining, per the Guardian. Officials have yet to release evidence backing Trump's report of a 350-foot "gash," even as US Park Police circulate video of a person reaching into the pool in a separate property-destruction probe.