LIVE: Officials provide update on alleged vandalism at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Everybody has an explanation. The devil’s in the detail. As to how these blue chips are peeling from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. Sometimes it’s not what you see on the surface. President Donald Trump has blamed vandals with knives. That would be very difficult to do. Some have blamed the hydrogen peroxide that was meant to kill the algae problem. It’s unlikely. Others have said maybe it’s the product itself. The technology is absolutely the right technology to choose. But before you can understand why it’s peeling, you have to understand what it is. Spray polyurea. Or spray polyurea hybrid or not paint. Polyurea is *** waterproof coating that protects submerged concrete. Few people know it better than Kyle Flanagan and Aidan Bradley. Combined, they’ve spent nearly six decades studying, developing, and installing polyurea waterproofing systems. The Hearst National Investigative Unit asked them to independently review photographs, video, and project documents from the reflecting pool. The two were not involved in that project, but they both zeroed in on *** couple of areas of concern. There doesn’t seem to be *** problem with surface preparation and coating coming up from the concrete. So far what we see are like tie-in detail problems. The first area, the seams. No project this size is sprayed in *** single day. That means each day’s work has to connect flawlessly to the next. Those connections are called tie-ins. That’s where they see something called feathering, *** gradual spraying effect. And the reason they do that is to Hide or hide that line, that tie-in line from one day’s work to the next. Experts say it’s for aesthetic purposes, but it must be done within 6 hours. If it sits for longer, it’s not going to stick, which is why you might be seeing this flapping effect and people lifting up the feathering. The second area, the pool’s expansion joints, does it appear that the expansion joints have been sprayed over? It looks like it, but we can’t be definitive. Those joints allow the pool to expand and contract as temperatures change. Experts say they shouldn’t be sprayed. We contacted the company that did the work asking if the joints were sprayed, but they did not respond. What problems can arise if you were to spray an expansion joint? It’s going to crack. It’s going to let water. Into the joint and it’s going to let water underneath the polyurea. So could it eventually cause leaking potentially? Absolutely. You need to go through the first cycle of weather though, go through 12 months of extreme heat and extreme cold, then you’ll have *** better idea. The reflecting pool will be drained for repair following the 4th of July celebration. Our experts say that if those expansion joints were sprayed with sealant, it will need to be removed. Reporting on the National Mall, I’m national investigative correspondent John Cardinelli.
LIVE: Officials provide update on alleged vandalism at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Three-time Olympian David “Davey” Hearn was indicted Thursday on a single count of destruction of property following his arrest last month at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.Watch District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s news conference live in the video player above.Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was indicted by a grand jury in Washington, D.C.’s Superior Court, after being arrested last month. His charge was announced by District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted.The indictment said a D.C. grand jury found that Hearn “maliciously did injure, break and destroy certain property, that is, the lining material of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.”An attorney representing Hearn said he wasn’t aware yet of developments with the case since Hearn had previously received a citation, which was a lesser, misdemeanor set of charges.Hearn previously told CNN that police arrested him after he touched a flap of blue material that partially detached from the bottom of the pool, which reopened last month following President Donald Trump’s multimillion-dollar renovation.Hearn said a National Park Service worker warned him not to reach into the water before he was handcuffed by Park Police. He denied vandalizing the pool and said he was simply curious.Trump warned late last month that those who he said “vandalized” the pool could face lengthy prison sentences. Trump also said six people were arrested and several others cited for alleged vandalism of the pool. None other than Hearn have been publicly identified.The renovation of the pool, which was meant to be completed ahead of this weekend’s Independence Day festivities, was beset with issues involving algae and peeling paint or sealant shortly after it reopened to the public last month.The president also said someone had carved a lengthy gash into the pool with some sort of sharp instrument. The federal government has not provided proof of those claims, and Trump’s estimate of the length of damage to the pool fluctuated wildly.CNN contributed to this story.
District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is providing an update Thursday on charges related to alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Watch Pirro’s news conference live in the video player above.
An official from the National Park Service said the liner at the bottom of the reflecting pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor last month, which caused damage to the foam sealant installed during a $16 million rehabilitation project.
The U.S. Park Police responded June 9 to a complaint by the park service, said Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in a court document filed as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the Trump administration’s work on the project.
His statement did not say when exactly the damage occurred or whether it was a suspected case of vandalism and does not identify anyone who might have been involved.
The police report indicated damage to the pool, “including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,” Lands said. About 70 fence post tops also were thrown into the pool, he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
