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Trump says Washington's Reflecting Pool damaged by vandals

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reflecting pool

Reuters Wires

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (June 22) that vandals had damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, adding arrests had been made and repairs would follow.Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that a long slit had been cut into the pool’s blue surface coating and that water would likely need to be drained to carry out repairs.“We have, I think, a 290, 300-foot slit right through it, probably a box cutter or a knife of some kind… we’ll probably have to let the water out and refix it,” he said.He said five people had been arrested and five more were under investigation, citing information from parks officials.Reporters questioned the claim, saying they had not seen evidence of such damage during visits to the site.“All you’d have to do is see the Parks Department… But I saw it. They cut it very violently,” Trump said.The comments come as the reflecting pool is set to be drained again after algae and peeling paint appeared weeks after a $14.7 million renovation declared complete on June 6.Authorities approved a permit to drain the 2,000-foot (609-meter) pool, while the contractor said it would fix the issues under warranty. The National Park Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Trump also suggested the algae may have been caused intentionally.“Somebody said they might have put fertilizer… they did something to create the algae,” he said. Concerns have been raised about the no-bid contract to recoat the pool before the nation&#x27;s 250th anniversary celebrations next month, as well as for the wildlife that use its water. Workers from the National Park Service earlier this week poured hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat the ‌algae.(Production, Editing: Suheir Sheikh, Writing: Susan Heavey, Suheir Sheikh)

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (June 22) that vandals had damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, adding arrests had been made and repairs would follow.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (June 22) that vandals had damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, adding arrests had been made and repairs would follow.