Aerial photos show the different stages of renovations to the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after President Trump said the second round of renovations was complete.
“I think they’re going to fill it up this week. The reflecting pool is completely finished, we replaced the old pipes,” Trump told reporters.
But as of Thursday morning, the pool had not yet been filled; newsweekLeonardo Feldmen reports live. On Wednesday, as workers were still completing their tasks, they saw material being sprayed on parts of the interior of the pool, and the grate for the center drain had not yet been installed, The Washington Post reported.
newsweek The White House and the U.S. Department of the Interior were contacted via email for comment.
What do aerial photos show?
Photos taken from the Washington Monument webcam overlooking the Memorial Reflecting Pool show water still visible before the second drain on July 11.
Crews began draining 4 million gallons of water in July after the $14 million no-bid contract sparked major controversy, including severe algae blooms, underwater coating peeling and allegations of vandalism.
The project was declared complete on the occasion of the country’s 250th anniversary, but these problems emerged within days. The Trump administration has blamed political opponents and saboteurs for the program’s rapid deterioration, but critics have questioned whether those claims are being used to hide systemic construction flaws.
newsweek The timeline for the project is broken down in detail here.
Photos from July 14 show the pool devoid of any water, revealing the pool and visible surface patterns.
Images Wednesday, a day after Trump said the work was complete, showed the pool still drained but with visible changes to its surface.
Feature photo by newsweek Showing an exposed basin with construction equipment scattered across the surface.
What you need to know about vandalism cases
In June, the Trump administration alleged vandalism, saying law enforcement found “intentional scratches on the lining, sides and coating, as well as fencing and debris thrown into the pool.”
Olympic kayaker David Hearn was one of several people arrested and later charged with felony destruction of property, but federal prosecutors dropped the criminal case after concluding that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by an installation defect rather than vandalism.
Last week, Judge Todd Edelman permanently dismissed the criminal case against Hearn, saying: “Within a month, the government recognized that its prosecution lacked merit. It reached this conclusion not because it mistakenly identified Mr. Hearn as the perpetrator of the alleged conduct, but because no crime occurred.”
When reached for comment, the White House mentioned newsweek President Donald Trump published a series of “Truth Society” posts in August in which he blamed vandals for the destruction of the Reflecting Pool.
“Look what the vandals have done to the grass that connects the destroyed World War II Memorial to the destroyed Reflecting Pool, which will soon be open again and better than ever,” Trump wrote at the time. “Anyone who thinks the Reflecting Pool is not destroyed should go back to law school! The grass will be replaced soon and the Reflecting Pool has been almost completely preserved, including various water pipes and pipes.
Hearn’s lawyers have since called for a “detailed and comprehensive” investigation into Hearn’s prosecution.
Hearn’s attorneys have previously said: “The Department of Justice and the Interior Department plunged an innocent man into a nightmare of false arrest, felony prosecution, and public defamation to cover up their botched, rushed renovation of the Reflecting Pool.” newsweek. “This administration has committed the full force of the federal government to prosecuting David Hearn, and their actions surrounding his arrest and prosecution demand full accountability.”
In response, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told newsweek Together with the inspector general, it “independently and makes its own decisions regarding the content of the review.”
An Interior Department spokesman said Tuesday that Hearn admitted to officials that he had made changes to the pool, citing court documents detailing reports from National Park Service employees.
newsweek’s Reporters and editors used our artificial intelligence assistant Martyn to produce this story. Learn more about Martin here.
Please contact Newsweek editors for this story: John Fitzpatrick and Gray Thomas