People ticketed for vandalizing Washington Reflecting Pool to be fully prosecuted, US Attorney Pirro says

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro vowed to fully prosecute individuals caught vandalizing the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Washington's National Mall.

People caught ​vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ​on Washington’s National Mall will ‌be fully ​prosecuted, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Sunday.

President Donald Trump has blamed vandalism for recent problems with the ‌newly renovated pool, including its new blue paint peeling off. Citations for vandalism have been issued, Pirro said on Sunday, adding that even minor crimes must be prosecuted ‌to keep the U.S. capital safe. The peeling paint was visible in the ‌2,000-foot-long rectangular pool, a major national landmark, less than two weeks after Trump declared its $14.7 million renovation project completed on June 6. Trump on Saturday claimed, without providing evidence, that vandals poured corrosive ⁠chemicals ​into the pool.

"Anyone who ⁠is in a position of vandalizing or attempting to vandalize will face the criminal justice system ⁠in D.C.," Pirro told Fox News' "Sunday Briefing" program. The pool has also suffered an algae ​bloom that makes the water look green. Those adding products to the ⁠pool that can generate algae could face more severe charges, Pirro said.

Workers from the National Park ⁠Service ​earlier this week poured hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat the algae. Trump first brought up allegations of vandalism on Friday, when he posted on ⁠social media that 75% of the algae is gone. He also accused ABC ⁠News journalist Jonathan ⁠Karl of "trying to rip the rubber off of the surface" of the pool. ABC did not immediately respond to a request ‌for ‌comment.