The only vandalism of the Reflecting Pool was that done by the current administration.
What we know as the National Mall used to contain a river, a canal, and a marsh. Originally 17th and Constitution NW, where the old lock keeper’s house is, was the point where Tiber Creek flowed into the Potomac. The bank of the Potomac ran near the Washington Monument. They dug a tunnel under Tiber Creek to sink it and then built Constitution Avenue on top of it. The Potomac riverbed was dredged and the material was used to reclaim land that became West Potomac Park, which includes the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool. All of that used to be river and marsh. Braddock’s Rock near the Institute of Peace was originally in the river, but is 16 feet underground and over 1,000 feet inland now. They built a well around it to keep it from being buried.
Looking at all the water that used to be in and around the Mall, I can’t help but think that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the Capitol Reflecting Pool, and the pond in Constitution Gardens were engineered to contain the water that would collect in these places anyway. That’s what the Tidal Basin is for also.
Doesn’t sound like it would do much reflecting, though.
This administration in general and Freedumb 250 in particular in a nutshell. I was in my 20s for the Bicentennial and remember all the celebrating done then. I feel sorry how the kids and young adults of today got cheated and hope they’re around for the Tricentennial – assuming the country is worthy of its past.
The way trump is belligerently adamant about vandals reminds me of his campaign against the Central Park 5. At least he’s not calling for executions (yet).
CNN is reporting that Trump is considering removing Jeanine Pirro as US attorney for the District of Columbia, basically for not agreeing with his claim that the reflecting pool damage is due to vandals.
Thanks, this has been helpful! The picture that emerges is that Pirro saw things collapsing quickly, and felt there were worse things in store for her than just losing her job. She took decisive action hoping it would save her from the most unpleasant consequences, though the action did risk her current job – maybe “threw it away” is a better description. Her claims of being deluded by Interior don’t jibe well with her absolute insistence that she had overwhelming proof of a crime meriting up to 10 years in federal prison, but this action may save her from losing her law license and other repercussions. It shouldn’t, but it might.
Meanwhile, there’s not much info about the five people charged with misdemeanor vandalism. Their names haven’t been released, and it’s not clear if all the cases are still active just some of them. One is the person Trump accused of cutting the 250 foot slit in the Reflecting Pool liner, or however long he’s saying it is now.
A question for legal experts: Can this defendant or his attorneys subpoena the grand jury testimony? I’m sure it’s lies and bullshit and misleading direction piled on top of lies and bullshit, and it would be nice to shine a spotlight on it.
At least three of them have. Cameron Thiers, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Justin Carreno.
Now that the case is dismissed, a hard path just became probably impossible. The answer is likely no, he cannot not get the grand jury testimony anymore, but I can’t articulate the reason why.
Late: I’m reading your “grand jury testimony” as the transcript of the entire grand jury proceedings. It would be fairly normal for a Defendant to get some witness testimony that are adverse, exculpatory, and what not to use at trial.
It would be hilarious if David Hearn applied for compensation from the anti-weaponization fund that Trump may or may not be establishing.
We’ve just found out, and nobody is surprised.
A white box like that is the classic sign that someone was let go, as it would contain one’s personal stuff from the office. But her office wouldn’t have been at the White House, would it? So why would she be bringing the box out of there?
Is it possible she spent enough time there that she kept some stuff at the WH?
I did see one random ‘find a celebrity’ website that shows two address for her, one of them being the WH.
Re: The other three charged:
Article in AP today mentions that their cases are dropped too.
She is, or was, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia. Perhaps she did have an office at the White House but that would be yet another sign of how fucked up this administration is. IMHO, her office should be completely distinct from the administration.
Could just be a 5D chess move from her. Let Trump see her taking out a white box, to make him think that he already fired her, so he doesn’t do it in actuality and her real office still has all of her stuff.
Which of course wouldn’t fool anyone but an absolute idiot.
That just might work!
I did a little FBI zoom & enhance on the picture.
