Trump Says He’s ‘Preparing Lawsuits Against ABC for False Reporting’

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

President Donald Trump said his administration is about to sue ABC over its reporting on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

For weeks, Trump bragged about the ongoing renovations of the Reflecting Pool, but since their completion, the pool has been plagued by algae blooms. Last week, visitors began to notice paint peeling away from the bottom. The algae has given the pool a distinct green hue instead of the intended American flag blue. Some tourists have reportedly been ripping off pieces of loose paint to take as souvenirs.

Trump has insisted the Reflecting Pool is in bad shape because vandals dumped fertilizer into it. However, he has provided no evidence for his claim.

On Monday night, the president went on Truth Social and wrote that a lawsuit is headed ABC’s way. He accused ABC News of not reporting that his two predecessors spent $100 million to renovate the pool, a figure which he appears to have made up, as President Joe Biden oversaw no major work on it. Meanwhile, the Obama administration spent $35 million on the pool.

Trump wrote:

In describing the Vandalism that took place at the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., ABC FAKE NEWS, one of the worst in the business, even paying me $16,000,000 for past bad and inaccurate reporting, failed to report that their close “friends,” Dumocrats Obama and Biden, spent over 100 Million Dollars on the Reflecting Pool, and it never worked. In fact, it was rarely open due to leaks and “stench.” They wanted to spend 300 to 400 Million Dollars, but just let it ROT. I spent approximately 16 Million Dollars, and it came out great, except for the Vandalism, which we are now fixing. It was also a much bigger job than originally envisioned, including the outer areas and sidewalks. We are preparing lawsuits against ABC for false reporting. I like their money, which will be given to the U.S. Treasury! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT

ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl reported from the Reflecting Pool last week.

“Fourteen million dollars was spent to drain this whole thing and to paint the bottom American flag blue,” Karl said, standing next to the pool. “As you can see, it’s all green now. They know that. They’re trying to kill the algae. But as they’re doing that, something else has happened.”

In the video, Karl reached down and held up a piece of peeling paint that was still connected to the bottom so viewers could see what was happening. Trump angrily responded by falsely claiming that Karl was “trying to rip the rubber off of the surface.”

The Reflecting Pool was renovated by Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based company that was awarded a $13.1 billion no-bid contract.

On Thursday, The New York Times reported that the pool’s new water purification system was installed via another no-bid contract, by Greenwater Services, which is owned by J.J. Cafaro Trust, headed by John J. Cafaro. In 2001, Cafaro pleaded guilty to bribing a congressman, whom he later testified against.

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