New photos show drained Reflecting Pool that Trump claims was damaged by vandals

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool remains empty after being drained earlier this month, as crews prepare to repair cracks in the recently redone lining of the Washington landmark.

President Trump made fixing the pool one of his signature projects, issuing two expedited no-bid contracts totaling more than $16 million to carry out fast-track renovations, which the White House hoped would be done before Fourth of July celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary.

Instead, the project fell into delay, disrepair and controversy. The Trump administration has accused vandals of sabotaging the renovation by causing algae blooms and tears in the pool’s lining, though it has released little evidence to back up these claims, and presidents have long struggled with maintenance issues at the pool.

The renovation, which Trump predicted would be done in about two weeks, has instead stretched for months, costing more than eight times the president’s initial estimated price tag.

The Justice Department has charged at least four people with damaging the pool, including former Olympian David Hearn, though they have all denied wrongdoing. Hearn says he merely bent over to touch a section of the lining that had already detached (AP)

Trump has claimed vandals cut a 350-foot gash in the Reflecting Pool, though photos of the newly re-drained monument do not clearly show the kind of massive slice the president has described (Getty)

This is now the second time the Trump administration has drained the Reflecting Pool, after initially emptying the pool in April to begin repairs (AP)

Last week, an FBI team was spotted gathering evidence from the drained Reflecting Pool (Getty)

The president has faced scrutiny for awarding no-bid contracts to fix the Reflecting Pool, bypassing the some of the usual safeguards to ensure quality and cost-effective work on government projects (AP)

The repairs to the pool — and the ensuing controversy around them — have turned the site into an even bigger tourist attraction, and park police and National Guard troops have patrolled around its exterior (AP)

The Trump administration has put a heavy focus on Washington renovation projects, with undertakings including redoing the Reflecting Pool, the Kennedy Center, the parks near the White House, and the White House grounds themselves, where the president is building a new ballroom and helipad (AP)

Though evidence is scant that vandals caused the problems at the Reflecting Pool, an apparent anti-Trump message, “86 47,” was found marked into a nearby lawn on the National Mall (Getty)

The Independent has asked the White House and Department of Interior for comment on the status of the Reflecting Pool project and evidence it was attacked by vandals (AP)