WASHINGTON, June 29 (DC Times Online) — Federal officials said seven people have been arrested and others cited after vandalism damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum promised “full” prosecution of anyone responsible.
Burgum said on Fox News that investigators believe the damage stretched about 350 feet and was cut with a box cutter or similar sharp instrument. He said fencing has been installed around the pool as crews prepare for July 4 festivities.
“When people are attacking it, it is like an attack on our country,” Burgum said. “These are our most sacred monuments, and they are gonna be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
A recent Interior Department court filing said the pool’s liner was cut with a sharp knife or razor. Public accounts of arrests and citations have varied: the Interior Department said there were seven arrests, seven citations and 18 police reports, while U.S. Park Police said five people had been arrested and five others had been cited.
President Donald Trump said on social media that six people had been arrested and seven others cited. Officials have not publicly identified the people arrested or said what charges, if any, have been filed.
