The Left has become oddly obsessed with President Donald Trump’s $14 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The Washington Post kicked off the controversy with an article suggesting the project made little noticeable difference in the pool’s appearance. CNN, meanwhile, fixated on the algae bloom that turned the water a vivid shade of green, dispatching a crew to collect water samples and consult experts in what seemed like an effort to portray the renovation as a costly blunder. Buried deep within the report, however, was the key detail that algae blooms are a frequent occurrence after a pool has been drained and refilled. And I’ll get to ABC News‘ Jonathan Karl’s latest round of absurdity later in this post.
But even more troubling than the media’s fixation on the newly refurbished Reflecting Pool are reports of deliberate damage to the pool’s liner.
According to multiple media reports, former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, 67, was arrested Friday on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property after he was observed “interacting with a partially detached section of the pool liner.”
The three-time Olympian vehemently denied responsibility for removing the piece of the liner. He claimed that, at the end of a 52-mile bike ride, he decided to visit the Reflecting Pool to see the results of the renovations when he noticed an already-peeling piece of the liner in the water. He maintains that he merely touched it “to see what it felt like,” and insists that he “didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was happening, I was already being handcuffed.”
An excerpt from The Washington Post:
Noticing a piece of the new “American flag blue” liner that was partially detached from the pool bottom, Hearn said he reached into the water to see what it felt like. Moments later, as the Bethesda man prepared to leave, U.S. Park Police officers arrested him on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property. He is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.Hearn’s arrest ignited a social media flurry as President Donald Trump and his allies blamed the pool overhaul’s problems on administration opponents. Emily Miller, a conservative journalist, posted a 2 minute and 8 second video on X, which showed Hearn detained by two members of the National Guard and subsequently surrounded by Park Police officers.
Here is Miller’s video of Hearn’s arrest. She accused him of grabbing the hose that female National Park Service workers were using to clear the algae.
It seems unlikely that Hearn was the one who originally cut the section of liner from the pool because, 90 minutes before posting the video of his arrest, Miller reported that “a man” had been arrested for cutting out a “big piece” of the pool liner.
Additionally, Fox News reported that “multiple people” had been arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Reflecting Pool over the past few days.
According to Miller, “seven people were detained Friday and five people were detained Saturday in separate incidents, which has led to a major security surge.”
On Thursday, independent journalist Nick Sortor reported that vandals had written “86 47” on the pool lining. He reported that, “mobile SURVEILLANCE TOWERS have been deployed around the pool, along with Park Police and National Guard on 24/7 watch. It’s insane to see that TDS is this bad that death threats are being written into the reflecting pool of the Lincoln Memorial.”
That discovery came a week after vandals etched “86 47” into the grass on the National Mall.
At any rate, Trump is understandably angry over the vandalism to the Reflecting Pool as well as the media’s preoccupation with it. He took to Truth Social on Friday night to vent his frustration.
He wrote: “These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail!” He also vowed that repairs to the pool “will begin immediately.”
https://x.com/RedWavePress/status/2068443526895964294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Oh, yes, ABC News‘ Jonathan Karl. He traveled to the Reflecting Pool last week to conduct what amounted to a theatrical inspection of the renovation. Karl reached down and pulled up the loose piece of the pool liner, triumphantly displaying it to viewers as though he had uncovered evidence of a major scandal. The segment was presented with all the gravity of an investigative exposé, despite the likelihood that the problem was caused by vandalism.
Rather than providing meaningful context, Karl was determined to reinforce the narrative that Trump’s renovation had been a costly failure.
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