Heritage Group Seeks Judge's Access to $15 Million Lincoln Pool Site as Evidence Fight Deepens
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Aug 5
Heritage Group Seeks Judge's Access to $15 Million Lincoln Pool Site as Evidence Fight Deepens
3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Aug 5
Summary
$15 million in no-bid Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool work is now at the center of a court request by the Cultural Heritage Foundation to inspect the site before new repairs erase evidence of what caused the damage.
Court filings say the government has already closed off and begun renovating the pool again even after admitting the new lining was cut with a sharp knife or razor, which the group says could destroy proof needed in its lawsuit.
Jeanine Pirro's office last week dropped charges against 67-year-old former Olympian David Hearn, saying Interior records showed the blue lining began peeling almost immediately and that a rushed, botched installation—not vandalism—caused the failure.
National Park Service filings show officials were investigating damage on June 10, days before Hearn's arrest, while Trump has continued to insist vandals used box cutters and defended the contractor's work as a 'beautiful job.'