Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asserted that vandals physically cut the liner of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, clashing with CNN host Dana Bash over the reporting of the incident. The vandalism occurred ahead of the United States' 250th birthday celebrations.
Burgum stated that the damage was not superficial but involved a physical cutting of the pool's new liner. He criticized what he characterized as media attempts to downplay or question the nature of the vandalism. The Interior Secretary emphasized the seriousness of the act, particularly given its proximity to the nation's upcoming semiquincentennial anniversary.