Contractor Admits They, Not Imaginary Antifa Vandals, Wrecked the Reflecting Pool

Shitty renovations—not antifa supersoldiers—are the reason that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s liner began to crack and pool earlier this year. That’s according to “government documents reviewed by The New York Times,” which reported on Friday that contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings has now admitted more details about the failed, no-bid, $14.7 million rush-job renovation ordered by Donald Trump ahead of the nation’s July 4 semiquincentennial. It’s more or less exactly what you’d expect. Workers failed to spray enough of the primer that bonds the pool’s layers of liner in some cases, and Atlantic used two chemicals with incompatible heat tolerances. When the top layer got too hot, the bottom layer would “blister and come loose.” Atlantic stated in the documents that it didn’t expect the reaction because the two chemicals are rarely mixed (gee, wonder why) and admitted to failures of “human oversight.” Trump repeatedly insisted the very, very visible damage to the pool, as well as subsequent algae blooms, was the work of nefarious left-wing vandals armed with tools like box cutters (and in at least one case, a “TEAM ALGAE” t-shirt). A compliant Justice Department rushed to comply and charged multiple individuals seen around the pool with vandalism, most famously former Olympian David Hearn. Prosecutors dropped charges against Hearn at the end of July, when U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro blamed the contractor and admitted, “It is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.” Pirro also dropped charges against three other accused vandals. As of last month, though, the Wall Street Journal reported the White House was still demanding the DOJ weigh new charges against Hearn. On Sept. 4, a federal judge demanded prosecutors, who are seeking to keep Hearn’s case open in court, explain how any further charges could possibly amount to more than “meritless re-prosecution.” At least the pool is under warranty, which means Atlantic is on the hook for covering repairs, which are ongoing—though it won’t fix the hideous “American flag blue” color chosen by Trump. Atlantic Industrial Coatings didn’t respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment, but we’ll update this piece if we hear back.