People caught vandalising Washington Reflecting Pool to be fully prosecuted

People ⁠caught vandalising the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting ⁠Pool on Washington’s National Mall will be fully prosecuted, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump has blamed vandalism for recent problems with the newly renovated pool, including its new ‌blue paint peeling off. Citations for vandalism have been issued, Pirro said on Sunday, adding that even minor crimes must be prosecuted to keep the US capital safe.

The peeling paint was visible in the 610-metre-long (2,000-ft) rectangular pool, a major national landmark, less than two weeks after Trump declared ⁠its US$14.7 million renovation project completed on June 6. Trump on Saturday claimed, without providing ‌evidence, that vandals poured corrosive chemicals into the pool.

“Anyone who is in a position of vandalising or attempting to vandalise ‌will face the criminal justice system in DC,” Pirro told Fox News’ Sunday ⁠Briefing programme.

In ⁠a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump blamed “sick” and “deranged” people for the current state of ‌the “seriously vandalised” pool.

He said work would begin “immediately” to fix the pool. “I just inspected it, and could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing?” Trump said.

He had previously posted that the pool will be drained for repairs. The pool has ‌also suffered ‌an algae bloom that makes the water look green. Those adding products ‌to the pool that can generate algae could face more severe charges, ⁠Pirro said.