Reflecting Pool liner was cut with knife or razor, parks official says

Washington — A top official with the National Park Service said in a court filing Thursday that the agency reported damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool caused by a sharp knife over two weeks ago. 

Frank Lands, deputy director for operations for the National Park Service, said the park service reported the damage on June 9 to the U.S. Park Police. Lands’ declaration is the first public record testifying to intentional damage of the pool, after President Trump blamed the renovated project’s peeling surface on vandals. The president told reporters earlier this week that the National Park Service or Interior Department would provide evidence in court of what he called a 350-foot gash to the pool’s coating. 

“On June 9, 2026, after the rehabilitation project was substantially complete, the U.S. Park Police responded to an NPS report of damage to the reflecting 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 in the court filing. “In addition, approximately 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool.”

Lands, who assumed his current role in 2023, declared he has personal knowledge of the facts stated in his declaration and is willing to testify in court. It’s not clear what kind of evidence the National Park Service has. 

Lands said in the filing that the park service plans to begin draining and repairing the pool after the Independence Day festivities, rather than before. Lands’ statement came about as a part of the Cultural Landscape Foundation’s lawsuit against the Interior Department over the president’s Reflecting Pool paint job.

In an exchange with CBS News senior White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe earlier this week, Mr. Trump insisted that vandals, rather than other problems with the work, are responsible for the damage seen following the $14.7 million sealant job. The water has also been plagued by a resurgence of algae.

At least five people have been arrested for alleged vandalism related to the Reflecting Pool, and five additional people were issued federal citations, according to the U.S. Park Police. But details of the evidence have not been released.

“Yeah, at the right time you’ll see it,” Mr. Trump said of evidence of damage to the pool. “You’ll see it in court. You’ll see it in court, but all you have to do is call the Parks Department, call the Department of Interior.”