00:00The White House spent months blaming vandals for wrecking the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
00:05Now its own prosecutors say the government did it.
00:08Here's what's happening.
00:09The cost for painting the Reflecting Pool blue was stated at $1.8 million.
00:13To skip competitive bidding, the Interior Department's filing claimed unusual and compelling urgency.
00:19They said missing the July 4th deadline for the country's 250th birthday would be a serious injury to the government.
00:26Federal contract records now put the total at $16.4 million.
00:31The contract promised a waterproof anti-algae coating suitable for continuous submersion.
00:36And as we all know by this point, within weeks it peeled and the water turned green.
00:40Trump blamed vandals. Six people were arrested.
00:43The highest profile arrest was David Hearn, a 67-year-old former Olympian who says he just touched the water
00:49on a bike ride.
00:50Then on July 31st, the head prosecutor, Jeanine Pirro, moved to drop his case.
00:55Her office's filing blamed the rush to complete the project and the hasty and botched work for the damages.
01:01Still, Interior says some of the damage was vandalism caught on camera.
01:05And Trump said he disagrees 100% with Pirro's decision on the pool, posting on Truth Social,
01:10quote, the major damage was caused by vandals.
01:14So, $16 million later, is anyone actually happy with this pool?
01:18Let us know in the comments.
01:19Let us know in the comments.
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