WASHINGTON, June 29 (DC Times Online) — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said federal authorities will seek “full” prosecution of people arrested in connection with vandalism that left a roughly 350-foot cut in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Washington’s National Mall.
Burgum told Fox News that investigators believe the damage was made with a box cutter or similar sharp tool and that seven arrests had been made, multiple citations issued and 18 police reports filed. He said the vandalism was an “attack on our country” and on “our most sacred monuments.”
Public accounts of arrests and citations have varied. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that six people had been arrested and seven others cited, while the BBC reported that U.S. Park Police said five people had been arrested and five others had received federal citations. WGXA reported the Interior Department said there had been seven arrests, seven federal citations and 18 police reports.
A court filing and a National Park Service representative said the pool liner had been cut with a sharp knife or razor, according to BBC and WGXA. Officials have not publicly identified all of the people arrested or announced specific charges in the reports reviewed.
Federal crews have installed fencing around the Reflecting Pool as repairs and security preparations continue ahead of July 4 events on the National Mall, Burgum said.
