Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Sunday announced his dismay at 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 have all the footage we can see” to prove that vandals cut the bottom of the dam.
The administration’s insistence that people have cut the bottom of the ball on the reflecting pool was the latest step on a troubled path to repairing the reflecting pool ahead of America’s 250th birthday, which was yesterday. At least seven people have been arrested for allegedly destroying the dam, the administration said.
The reflecting pool was the centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s efforts to beautify Washington DC, a multimillion-dollar renovation project to plug leaks and change the color of its base, but the renovations were mired in controversy after algae began to grow soon after the pool reopened. Moments later, parts of the “blue flag of the American flag” liner began to be seen floating in the water.
But, without outside interference, Burgum said, the sealing device “would never just, like, come off or fall off.”
One man charged with destroying the pool is David Hearn, 67, a former US Olympian.who is facing 10 years in prisonif he is found guilty of the offense of damage to property.
Hearn has denied the charges and said he did not remove or damage any part of the pool.
Asked if Hearn would face such a harsh punishment, Burgum said “the courts will decide” but stressed the need to protect federal assets.
“If people are desecrating our graves, they should face the consequences of that,” Burgum said.
One possible reason for the damage the Interior Minister did not resent: The president’s trip over the unfinished dam he took before it reopened.
Burgum said that the vehicles in the convoy were lighter than the armored vehicles that the president usually travels in, adding that the bottom of the rubber dam has not yet been installed.
“There was no damage that night,” he said.
Burgum also touted the Department of the Interior’s work to restore monuments and fountains in the nation’s capital and lamented the “too much focus” on issues with the reflecting pool.
“I don’t understand why people want to keep talking about a beautiful reflecting pool,” he said.
