Trump's pool contractor blames flawed design, not vandalism, for damage
The pool contractor admits design flaws and faulty installation caused the liner damage. It was not vandalism.
Atlantic Industrial Coatings won a $14.7 million contract to repair the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. The company admitted its own mistakes caused damage to the new liner, blaming human error and poor planning instead of vandalism.
Documents from the New York Times show Atlantic did not spray enough primer in some areas. The primer is needed to properly bond the liner's layers.
The design called for two chemicals in separate layers. But they did not work well together.
The chemical on top got hotter than the material below could handle. This caused blistering and separation.
President Trump said vandals with knives or box cutters tore the pool's blue liner. The Justice Department charged several people with vandalism in early July.
But cases began being dismissed on 31 July. The Interior Department revealed the damage came from poor installation and a rushed schedule.
Goal was to finish before 4 July celebrations.
- $14.7 million
- Contract amount
- No-bid
- Contract type
- 31 July
- Cases dismissed
- 14 August
- Atlantic's admission
Why it mattersThe report shows the president's public claim of vandalism was false. The contractor's own admissions prove the damage came from installation mistakes, not vandalism.
