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Doug Burgum doubles down on Reflecting Pool vandalism claim

politicsAug 1, 2026361,416

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum publicly insisted the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized, posting Saturday that "The evidence is clear, vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool" and that his office provided "expert and eyewitness testimony" and detailed evidence to the U.S. Attorney's office. Burgum's statement came after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in court filings that damage to the pool's lining "was the result of flawed installation by the contractor" and a "rush to complete the project," and the DOJ moved to drop the felony case against former Olympian David Hearn. President Donald Trump said he "disagree[d] 100%" with Pirro and called the damage "a pure case of VANDALISM," sharing a video he said showed people cutting the material. Burgum rejected Pirro's account and vowed, "We won't back down to deranged people who want to destroy, deface, or degrade our monuments," even as prosecutors attributed the harm to construction errors and sought dismissal of the charges against Hearn.

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