Ted Lieu dares Trump to release photos backing Reflecting Pool vandalism claims

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) doubled down on his challenge to President Donald Trump's claims that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of vandalism rather than shoddy workmanship by vendors awarded a no-bid contract. "I guarantee there are no pictures as Trump described. Because if there were, Trump would be holding them and shoving the pictures in our faces," he wrote on X, responding to a clip of Trump's press conference in which the President claimed to have photographic evidence.

In the video, Trump, when asked whether he would release the photos to the press, said, "Yeah, at the right time you'll see it. You'll see it in court. But all you have to do is call the Parks Department, call the Department of Interior, and I don't know if their lawyers will allow you to speak to them, because you write fake news," he told CBS' Ed O'Keefe, adding that he could not be held responsible if someone took a knife to the pool.

O'Keefe, in his report for CBS News, revealed that the monument was under heavy security, including U.S. Marshals, and he was unable to find evidence of the 350-foot gash on the pool floor as described by Trump on Monday. "Despite that, the Interior Department is taking steps to drain the pool and fix it again," he told viewers, also noting that Trump had previously claimed a knife would not otherwise be able to penetrate the pool's coating—the one that gives the pool its blue color.

Trump has been under tremendous pressure to explain the controversial restoration, which began in April and was completed last week ahead of America's 250th anniversary celebrations. The opening was beset with multiple snags: sweltering heat triggered an algae bloom that turned the water green rather than the intended blue, and sections of the coating began to peel within days.

The 80-year-old has insisted that the deterioration of the $16 million pool was the result of vandalism, with his White House press secretary going as far as to suggest it was politically motivated, claiming that six people arrested in connection with the alleged damage were donors to Democratic causes. Meanwhile, his critics have flagged the lack of transparency in the bidding process, alleging corruption and citing contracts awarded to companies with ties to Trump himself.

As of now, six people have been arrested, with 17 police reports filed over a few days. Trump has made clear that his administration intends to pursue those believed to be responsible for the vandalism to the full extent of the law, proposing sentences of up to 10 years. Lieu has previously argued that any acts of vandalism would have been quickly noticed, given that the monument is under heavy security with round-the-clock video surveillance.