Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated on Saturday that there were multiple unreported instances of individuals making "threatening messages" toward former President Trump in and around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Burgum made these remarks while calling for accountability for those responsible for vandalizing the historic site.
According to Burgum, authorities made seven arrests and issued several citations, resulting in 18 police reports. He elaborated that "multiple cases both on the grass and in the pool" involved threatening messages directed at Trump, predating the pool's refilling. Burgum suggested these actions represent an attempt to undermine Trump's "drain the swamp" platform.
Vandals inscribed large "8647" markings around the reflecting pool. An Interior Department spokeswoman also noted "the cutting of fuel lines around the Great American State Fair" in connection with the incidents. The number 47 refers to Trump's position as the nation's 47th president.
The reflecting pool, measuring 2,028 feet, was recently refurbished with "American Flag" blue sealant through a $14.7 million government contract. Burgum emphasized that the pool is an integral part of the original 1922 memorial, and vandalism against it is legally comparable to defacing the Lincoln Memorial statue itself.
Burgum's assertion about box cutters aligns with previous statements by Trump, who claimed a roughly 300-foot gash was cut into the pool. Trump also accused individuals of adding fertilizer to the pool to induce an algae bloom, which workers later remediated with hydrogen peroxide. He suggested these actions were deliberate but provided no evidence.
The White House released video footage from June 19, which they state shows suspects in the act. A U.S. Park Police bulletin is seeking information to identify an individual "in connection with destruction of government property."
Following the incidents, security fencing was installed around the pool.