Doug Burgum claims vandals cut Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool liner

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum clashed with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., saying officials could prove vandals cut through the newly installed liner after questioning whether renovation work had failed ahead of the Trump administration’s July 4th celebration.

Bash asked Burgum if he was “100% sure” the vandalism caused the damage and if he could prove it.

“You absolutely can,” Burgum said. “And when we empty it, we have all the photos we can see.”

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Bash pressed Burgum about whether authorities had photographs of “the person or persons cutting a 300- or 350-foot breach” in the bottom of the pool.

“Dana, I’m not sure why you and others in the media think you want to continue questioning…this is an industrial ship,” Burgum said.

Burgum said the material placed in the pool was not paint, comparing it to the spray primer used on pickup trucks.

“Every farmer and rancher in America who coats their pickup trucks with this spray-on primer knows that they literally don’t like it peeling or falling off,” Burgum said. “This looks like strong material and is the size of eight football fields.”

Burgum said officials can prove that the Reflecting Pool’s new blue industrial liner is physically cut and does not peel off easily. (US Park Police)

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Burgum said the shape of the damage indicates it was cut deliberately.

“The only way to get real slices in one spot and not in another is for someone to physically cut it,” Burgum said.

The secretary said the pool was being repaired after leaking tens of thousands of gallons of water per day.

“There are no leaks in the pool,” Burgum said. “It was leaking 45,000 gallons a day. It was finally fixed by President Trump and the blue of the American flag works perfectly.”

Burgum defended the Trump administration’s renovation, stating that the pool was closed for the July 4th fireworks display. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)

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Burgum said the broader issue is the state of the nation’s capital before the renovations.

“The real scandal is about the state of our capital city being in such disrepair,” Burgum said. “Nobody was reporting on pro-Hamas graffiti.”

Bash noted that the Reflecting Pool was closed during the Fourth of July celebrations.

“It was closed because it was surrounded by fireworks,” Burgum said. “It is closed every year on the 4th of July.”

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Burgum said the fencing around the pool is tied to the fireworks display and will be torn down later.

“You can’t have people around when the fireworks are being set up,” Burgum said. “The fence was there because of the fireworks.”

Bash also asked whether President Donald Trump’s motorcade damaged the pavement when crossing the pond in May.

“No,” Burgum said. “He didn’t take the Beast. We were… driving in a Cadillac Escalade.”

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Burgum said the administration will use the same company to repair the damage rather than seek new bids.

“We’re going to use the same company because they did a great job,” Burgum said. “Luckily the vandalism was minor. It was bad. So it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair.”

Associated Press reported On Sunday, Burgum said the pool should be at least partially drained next week and repairs would not be opened to new contractors. The report claimed that Green Water Solutions received a $1.7 million contract for the water purification system, while Atlantic Industrial Coatings received a $14.7 million contract to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.