Vandalism at the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum chatted with podcast host Katie Miller, who is married to Trump adviser Stephen Miller, regarding the vandalism at the National Mall’s reflecting pool, which dates back to early June.

Burgum expressed his views on the topic during a discussion with CNN’s Dana Bash. This conversation aired on Miller’s podcast, released on Tuesday.

“I have a question for you,” Miller said, hinting at her conspiracy theorist side. “There are cameras everywhere and National Guard troops, yet it seems nobody knows who did it?”

Burgum responded, saying that initially, there were few or no cameras at the reflecting pool area. “Cameras are abundant around the monument, but this part, which is associated with the Lincoln Memorial, has never really faced any vandalism until now,” he clarified.

“It wasn’t until President Trump brought attention to it that it became a target,” Miller added, to which Burgum concurred, noting how that drew attention to the site.

However, he pointed out that the White House is taking steps to improve security. “We’ve set up mobile camera stations and towers to catch some of the secondary vandalism,” he explained. “Since June 9, we started noting these acts but chose not to publicize them, fearing it might encourage more vandalism. We’ve increased camera coverage since then.”

Federal authorities are sounding alarms about a rise in vandalism at the National Mall. Incidents have included various markings and messages, as well as damage to the reflecting pool, coinciding with Trump’s criticisms of ongoing renovations ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

This pattern of vandalism gained attention after Trump ordered repairs and repainting of the reflecting pool. Some protesters had left “razor knife marks” and even threw the fence into the water.