The Trump administration will not seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Burgum stated that vandals caused the damage to the century-old Reflecting Pool on the National Mall, a claim also made by President Donald Trump.

Repairs and Investigation

Burgum said the pool would have to be at least partially drained in the coming week to finish the repairs. The Trump administration had previously pledged to beautify the Reflecting Pool before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations on July Fourth. However, after the site was restored, the water was plagued by an algae bloom for more than a week, and pieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off the bottom.

Authorities have arrested more than a half dozen people related to the Reflecting Pool damage, including former Olympian David Hearn, who was indicted on a felony charge of property destruction. The top federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, accused Hearn of ripping up recently installed sealant on the pool in a deliberate act that caused more than $1,000 in damage.

Contracting and Accountability

The no-bid contracts for the project were awarded to vendors with prior ties to Trump, including Ohio-based Green Water Solutions and Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings. About 10 Democratic senators and House members are investigating the pool project, seeking a full explanation of how the failures occurred and who will be held accountable for correcting them.

Original reporting: KTSA News/Talk (San Antonio) — read the source article.