Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) have called on the Office of the Inspector General within the Department of the Interior (DOI) to investigate what DOI employees knew—and when—about the peeling coating and other engineering problems at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
In a letter dated Tuesday, the senators emphasized concerns over the pool's condition after the Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped criminal charges against Olympian David Hearn, who had been accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool. The DOJ noted in its filing that documents received from the DOI after the indictment revealed a "rushed and flawed installation process, with repeated failures of the lining during the installation process."
Former President Donald Trump has suggested that vandalism, including the use of a box cutter or knife to slice a nearly 300-foot slit in the pool's coating, and the pouring of fertilizer to spur algae blooms, contributed to the pool's issues. Trump also criticized Attorney Jeanine Pirro's decision to drop charges against Hearn, attributing it to an unfriendly judge.
The Hill has reached out to the Interior Department for comment on the investigation request.
Loading comments.