WASHINGTON, June 29 (DC Times Online) — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said federal authorities will seek full prosecution after vandals carved a long gash into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., days before July 4 festivities.
Burgum said on Fox News that investigators believe the damage stretched roughly 350 feet and was cut with a box cutter or similar sharp instrument. He said authorities had made seven arrests, issued multiple citations and filed 18 police reports.
“When people are attacking it [the Reflecting Pool], it is like an attack on our country,” Burgum said. “These are our most sacred monuments, and they [the perpetrators] are gonna be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Separate reports have given different totals for arrests and citations in the case. NBC News reported that President Donald Trump said six people had been arrested and seven others cited, while BBC reported that U.S. Park Police said five people had been arrested and five others had received federal citations.
A BBC report and a court filing cited by WGXA said a National Park Service representative and an Interior Department filing described the pool liner as having been cut with a sharp knife or razor. The U.S. Park Police, National Park Service and Interior Department had not publicly resolved the conflicting counts in the reports reviewed for this article.
Fox News reported that fencing was being installed around the Reflecting Pool as authorities continued their investigation and prepared for holiday crowds on the National Mall.
