Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Sunday aired his frustrations with the continued attention that the botched renovation of the reflecting pool has received and doubled down on the Trump administration’s claim that vandals are to blame for its condition.
Speaking to Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Burgum said, “We’ve got all the photographs we can see” to prove that vandals cut portions of the pool bottom.
The administration’s insistence that people have cut up the rubber bottom of the reflecting pool was the latest step on the troubled path to renovating the reflecting pool ahead of America’s 250th birthday, which was yesterday. At least seven people have been arrested for allegedly damaging the pool, the administration has said.
The reflecting pool was at the center of President Donald Trump’s efforts to beautify Washington, a multimillion-dollar renovation project to seal leaks and alter the color of its base, but the renovations became mired in controversy after algae began growing soon after the pool reopened. Shortly thereafter, segments of the “American flag blue” liner began to appear floating in the water.
