The US Department of Justice has moved to drop a high‑profile vandalism case over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, admitting in a new court filing on Friday that recent problems with the site renovated under Donald Trump were more likely caused by 'rushed and flawed' construction work than by a saboteur.
The political finger‑pointing around the $14 million refurbishment, which Trump pushed through on an accelerated timetable ahead of a series of America 250 events on the National Mall. The president had repeatedly blamed vandals for peeling and failures in the newly installed pool liner, presenting the incidents as evidence of disrespect for national monuments. For a time, federal prosecutors were willing to back that narrative in court.
