Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated on Sunday that the government will employ the same company responsible for painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to fix the damage to the original work. His remarks were made during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The company, which painted the pool’s base “American flag blue,” performed “extremely well” according to Burgum. He indicated that the damage was due to vandalism.
Burgum defended the decision to use Atlantic Industrial Coatings again, highlighting their previous satisfactory performance. The administration has faced criticism for awarding a $13.1 million no-bid contract to the company, which has prior ties to Trump properties. Initially estimated by Trump to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million, the project amount rose to $14.6 million, attributed to extra work required by the National Park Service.
Since the completion of the painting, chunks of the blue paint have detached, and algae developed in the pool, turning the water bright green. An additional $1.7 million contract was granted to Green Water Solutions, a company linked to a Trump donor, to eliminate the algae issue.
“Pieces of the blue paint have come loose since work on the pool concluded, and algae bloomed in the water, giving it a bright green shade.”
Former President Trump has alleged without evidence that vandals caused the damage by making deep cuts in the floor. Several arrests have been made following Trump’s claim, and David Hearn, a U.S. Olympic canoeist, was indicted last week for causing over $1,000 in damages to the pool. Hearn has denied any wrongdoing and stated that he did not cause any removal or destruction of the coating. He mentioned being detained for five hours after inspecting a piece of separated coating during a bike ride.
When asked about Hearn’s arrest, Burgum commented that Hearn could voice his perspective, but the courts would ultimately determine his guilt. “You can be a former governor, you can be a former this, you can be a former that, but just because you were a former something doesn’t exclude you from the law today,” Burgum emphasized.