'Did Someone Cut A 350-Foot Gash?': Whitehouse Grills USFWS Nom On Alleged Reflecting Pool Vandalism

[chowder66]

During a Senate Environment Committee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse questioned USFWS Assistant Secretary nominee, Kevin Lilly about the Reflecting Pool.

Wow. Touchy!!

[sop]

1. Expecting any of Trump's henchmen to answer a question honestly, that will only get them fired, is a waste of time.

I'm glad Whitehouse asked, though.

[Disaffected]

2. I would contend that the "that will only get them fired" part of your post

could be removed for even greater certainty.

Reminds me a bit of some politician (Canadian or British?) in a parliamentary government commenting on Question Period. He said "It's question period, not answer period."

[Harker]

4. Whether by way of presentation or by interrogation, Sen. Whitehouse does a great deal of good work.

[LiberalArkie]

3. U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade drove through the newly painted and sealed Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Claim:

U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade drove through the newly painted and sealed Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Rating:

True (About this rating?)

Context:

Trump's motorcade passed through the empty pool on May 7, 2026, after it was painted and sealed and before it was refilled with water as part of a renovation project.


In June 2026, a claim spread online that President Donald Trump's motorcade had driven through the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after it was painted and sealed as part of a more than $14 million renovation project.

The rumor circulated as the U.S. National Park Service struggled to maintain the appearance of the Washington, D.C., landmark after Trump ordered it to be repainted to "American flag blue" for the country's 250th anniversary.

Examples of the claim spread on X and Instagram, while the self-described progressive Facebook page Occupy Democrats posted it on Facebook. That post featured an image of five black SUVs driving through the empty pool, and overlaid text suggesting the motorcade may have damaged the paint and sealant before it had fully set, thus later causing the paint to peel off.

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2052544603283198031%7Ctwgr%5E73518175349fd6d58496a2bf11d18a5dd3e84789%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.snopes.com%2Ffact-check%2Ftrump-motorcade-reflecting-pool%2F

[wnylib]

5. The responses are robotic. Blah, blah, blah.