Kaitlan Collins showed a series of clips on CNN that showed several Trump administration officials saying the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial had been vandalized.The disagreement about whether the pool was vandalized continues, after President Donald Trump’s picked U.S.Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, dropped the vandalism charges related to the pool damage claims.
Collins said on CNN, “What we know is not only does her filing put her against the president, as you heard today, but also against the comments made by Karoline Leavitt, Doug Burgum, and yes, Jeanine Pirro.” Collins has often been criticized by Trump for holding him accountable.
Collins then showed a clip of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said on Fox News, “The vandalism is very real, despite what Tim Walz wants to say, ‘It’s an imaginary problem’ — no, it is not, it’s a very real problem.”
Doug Burgum, the Secretary of the Interior, said on CNN, “It didn’t peel off…
There was vandalism; there were box cutters; there were seven arrests; there were people trying to destroy part of the monument,” as shown in a clip played by Collins.
Pirro said on Fox News on July 2, “Not only is it vandalism that is reflected in today’s indictment, but there is a cutting of the liner of the pool — at the base of the pool — for several yards across the pool.” She added, “Someone was intent on doing incredible damage to the pool.” Collins responded by saying, “Apparently, that was the contractor hired by the Department of the Interior.”
In a court filing on July 31, Pirro moved to drop the vandalism charges against David Hearn, a 67-year-old former Olympian who was taken into custody on the National Mall after being seen by U.S.
Park Police near the pool on June 19.Hearn faced a misdemeanor charge of destroying government property, which he denied.
Pirro’s office also asked to drop the charges against three other people who were accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool, as reported by CBS News, citing court documents.
All three were facing misdemeanor charges.
According to court filings, the Justice Department said the damage to the pool was due to “contractor error” and a “poor installation.” Trump was not happy with this conclusion, especially since his administration had spent over $14.7 million to renovate the pool and turn it into American Flag Blue.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S.
Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool.I don’t know what she was thinking?To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM.”
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly blamed “vandals” and “vandalism” on Truth Social about the Reflecting Pool issues, but he hasn’t provided any proof to back up his claims.
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