President Trump on Saturday said the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool will likely have to be drained to make the necessary repairs after vandals took a knife and put a 250 foot long gash into the pool and poured corrosive chemicals in the water.

Many people have been arrested for vandalizing the reflecting pool and peeling off the paint from the bottom of the pool.

Former Olympian David Hearn was arrested and charged with misdemeanor for destruction of property for vandalizing the Lincoln Reflecting Pool.

According to independent journalist Emily Miller, a man was arrested after jumping into the pool on Friday and cutting out a “huge piece” of the sealant.

Miller also filmed a man being detained by Park Police. “He grabbed the hose that female National Park Service workers were using to clear the algae,” Miller said.

That man turned out to be cyclist and Olympian David Hearn, 67.

Hearn is a three-time Olympic canoeist.

President Trump said he met with contractors and determined that the reflecting pool will likely need to be drained to make the necessary repairs.

Full statement from President Trump:

Many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool.

It hasn’t looked or worked like this since 1922, when it was originally built, but even then, it leaked badly, and didn’t work. Ours worked perfectly, including the mirror like finish, perfectly reflecting the two Great Monuments, which it never had before!

What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly. We met with contractors today, will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible.

What they have damaged does not even include the earlier killing of a large amount of grass which was, by far, the least of it. They took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250 foot long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete.

They also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the Pool. The Reflecting Pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago, even going back to 1922 when it opened. We are very proud of what we have done with this magnificent structure, and we will get it repaired, quickly, to an equal level of Beauty. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

The post JUST IN: President Trump Says Lincoln Reflecting Pool Will be Drained to Make Necessary Repairs After Vandals Poured Corrosive Chemicals Into Pool appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.