The Department of Justice filing states that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by faulty installation by a contractor hired on a no-bid basis.
Posted by Letters from an American, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
Letters from an AmericanAug 2, 2026
August 1, 2026 The Department of Justice moved to dismiss the criminal charges against David Hearn, who was indicted for vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, The filing says the damage was due to faulty installation by the contractor, a firm that was hired on a no-bid basis, The project had issues from the start, from algae blooming the day after the reservoir was filled with water to the blue epoxy which began peeling off the bottom of the pool, Hearn was trying to see what the detached material felt like but Trump immediately …
The DOJ's July 31, 2026 motion to dismiss attributed the pool damage to flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, as Reuters, NBC, Politico and FactCheck.org all report.
The host relays this claim without endorsing it. It counts as passed on, not against the post.
What we found
Supports. Reuters reports that the Justice Department acknowledged in its court filing that the damage was caused by flawed work performed by the contractor hired for the renovation.[1]
Supports. NBC News quotes the filing as attributing the damage to 'flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings,' and the DOJ said it first learned the damage was a botched installation and not vandalism.[4]
Supports. Politico and FactCheck.org both report that the DOJ motion placed the blame on a contractor's botched or hasty installation rather than vandalism.[2][5]
Supports. A congressional letter from Rep. Raskin states that DOI awarded a $15 million no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings to paint the Reflecting Pool, supporting the no-bid element, though this is not from the DOJ filing.[3]
Context. The DOJ filing as reported does not itself mention a no-bid award; the no-bid detail comes from separate reporting and a congressional letter.[1][4]
Sources
5 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 2 tier 2
- 1US Justice Department drops case against former US Olympian over Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Poolreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Trump's Continued Claims of Vandalism at Reflecting Pool Disputed by U.S. Attorney Memo - FactCheck.orgfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Secretary U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NWdemocrats-judiciary.house.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Trump administration drops Reflecting Pool case, blaming ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 5Reflecting pool damage was the result of botched work, not ...politico.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded a no-bid contract to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.True
- The National Park Service contracted Greenwater Services for a water purification system for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool for 1.7 million dollars.True
- Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for DC, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum claimed that vandals were responsible for the problems with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.Mixed
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that contractors had nothing to do with the problems at the reflecting pool and that it was vandalism.True