Contractor Reportedly Attributes Reflecting Pool Liner Damage to Its Own Errors, Not Vandalism

The company hired to renovate the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial has acknowledged that “human oversight” and problems with its own repair plan caused a newly installed blue liner to peel and tear, according to documents reviewed by the New York Times and cited by The Guardian.

The findings contradict repeated claims by President Donald Trump that vandals armed with knives or box cutters were responsible for damaging the liner, which he has described as “American flag blue.”

Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded a $14.7 million no-bid contract for the renovation project, according to the report. Documents reviewed by the Times indicate the company blamed its own execution of the repair work and flaws in the design plan for the liner's deterioration, rather than any act of vandalism.

The Guardian's report did not specify further details about the scope of the contract's award process or additional findings from the documents. The White House has not yet publicly responded to the contractor's reported acknowledgment, according to available reporting.

The reflecting pool, a prominent feature of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., stretches between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and is a frequent backdrop for public events and tourism.