Trump Finds Someone Else to Blame for Reflecting Pool Mess

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Donald Trump has once again sought to deflect blame for his botched Reflecting Pool revamp by putting up signs around the now-closed landmark faulting past administrations.

Weeks after his own MAGA prosecutor Jeanine Pirro admitted that damage to the pool was caused by Trump’s own contractor—and not “evil” vandals, as the president had claimed—the administration has come up with another excuse.

As repairs on the pool continue this week, new signs placed on fences surrounding the site blame previous governments for tourists no longer being able to enjoy it.

While the notices still reference some areas “damaged by vandals”, the signs also declare: “Since 1922, prior administrations have neglected this iconic national landmark, evidenced most recently by more than half of the pool pipes being clogged and the sidewalks and granite coping stones being filthy dirty.” “The reflecting pool will remain drained while this work proceeds so that it can truly reflect the beauty, dignity and grandeur of our nation’s capital.” The signs placed around the pool highlight how politicized the landmark has become ever since Trump gave the job of turning it “American Flag Blue” to a contractor who had helped repair a pool at his Virginia golf course.

But the latest blame game came as a new court filing on Wednesday found that engineers warned the administration in early June that the Reflecting Pool floor was peeling due to the renovation process and the materials used for the job.

Despite that warning, Trump accused multiple people of “destroying” the pool once it reopened to the public, taking particular aim at former Olympian Dave Hearn, who was charged over the damage.

Hearn pleaded not guilty to the charges, but faced 10 years in jail had they been proven.

However, in a stunning court reversal, Pirro dropped the charges late last month—a move that almost got her fired.

“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro,” a furious Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“Really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro.

She folded like an umbrella.” In Wednesday’s filing, Assistant U.S.

Attorney Michael Spence, who works alongside Pirro, said the engineer’s June 11 warning about peeling liner had “cast significant doubt that the defendant (Hearn) caused damage to the lining.” “This information—that the piece of liner peeled by the defendant was overspray, of little or no value—was first furnished to the prosecutors weeks after the grand jury indicted the defendant,” he said.

This, he added, would “sabotage the government’s ability to meet its burden of proof” against Hearn, which is why the charges were dropped.

Meanwhile, the physical evidence of the pool’s problems is proving rather harder to spin away.