A duckling was found dead Sunday in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, marking the latest — and most tragic — twist in President Donald Trump’s troubled, $14.7 million renovation of the iconic Washington landmark.
Photos showed the poor creature floating in algae-fouled water after local U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro vowed to aggressively prosecute anyone accused of vandalizing the popular attraction on the National Mall.
During an appearance on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing, Pirro — a former network host — said that “there are several citations that have been handed out to individuals. And these are cases that will be prosecuted to the full extent.”
“And if you damage, vandalize or do anything to impact something like the Reflecting Pool, you can be prosecuted,” she added.
The cause of the duckling’s death was unclear, and neither the National Park Service nor the Interior Department immediately returned inquiries from The Independent.
Trump ordered that the Reflecting Pool be renovated ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebration on July 4 and took credit for selecting the “American flag blue” sealant for its basin.
But days after the project was completed on June 6, the pool’s blue bottom was obscured by slimy green algae, after which the sealant began peeling off.
Efforts to eliminate the algae included pouring extra-strength hydrogen peroxide, a type of bleach, into the water.
Hydrogen peroxide is generally considered less dangerous to the environment than chlorine bleach because its components easily break down in water, but in high concentrations it can post a risk to ducks and birds who swim in the pool, according to The New Republic.
Workers in hip waders have also been removing algae from the water and the Interior Department has said it’s also using nanobubble ozone technology to combat the aquatic, plant-like organism.
On Friday, Trump claimed without evidence that vandals were behind the failure of the sealant and he’s repeated that assertion throughout the weekend, saying Sunday that work would “begin immediately” to repair the “seriously vandalized Reflecting Pool.”
”I just inspected it, and could only say to myself, and those gathered around me, WOW, who would do such a thing? SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE!” the president wrote on social media.
On Friday, three-time Olympic canoeist David Hearn, 67, was arrested by Park Police officers and charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property for allegedly vandalizing the pool.
The following day, the Bethesda, Maryland, resident admitted reaching into the pool to touch a “flapping piece” of sealant but denied causing any damage.
“I didn’t vandalize anything,” he told The Washington Post. “I didn’t destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs.”
Later Saturday, Trump claimed without evidence that the Park Police had “arrested multiple individuals” for vandalizing the pool and threatened, “Years in jail!”
