Federal prosecutors in Washington said Friday that citations have been issued by the U.S. Park Police this month at the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool, which has filled with algae and peeling paint since its $16 million makeover. But no records are available, and it remains unclear exactly what those citations were for, or how many people received them.
President Trump, who ordered the makeover ahead of July 4 celebrations of the nation’s 250th anniversary, has blamed the problems on vandals. In a social media post on Tuesday, he said without evidence that six people had been arrested, and seven others had been cited, for slashing the pool’s sealant with a “sharp knife or razors.” He also said fertilizer dumped into the pool had caused the algae.
No records of arrests or citations have been produced by the administration or law enforcement officials to support the president’s claims. On Friday, after several days of inquiries, the United States Attorney’s Office in Washington, which is responsible for both federal and local prosecutions in the city, responded briefly to questions about Mr. Trump’s posts.
“We are aware of citations being issued” by the U.S. Park Police, wrote Timothy Lauer, a spokesman for the prosecutors’ office, in a statement. He did not provide specifics on the number of people cited or what they were accused of doing, saying that anyone issued a citation would have been released with instructions to appear in court at a later date.
“Please note that a public docket will not be generated until the court appearance,” he said, explaining the lack of any arrests records or other documentation related to the citations.
The U.S. Park Police and its parent agency, the Interior Department, have not responded to requests for details. But David Carter Hearn, 67, who represented the United States in three Olympics as a canoeist, said in an interview that he is among those cited at the reflecting pool.
His lawyer, Norman Eisen, said that Mr. Hearn was charged with a misdemeanor count of destruction of federal property after he reached into the reflecting pool to touch a piece of its detached blue coating floating in the water. Mr. Eisen said his client had not torn or removed any of the coating.
He said Mr. Hearn would seek to take the case to trial, adding, “It is not a crime in America to touch water.”
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