Trump claims vandals will force drainage of algae-plagued Reflecting Pool

(CNN) — President Donald Trump claimed Saturday, without providing evidence, that vandals damaged the algae-plagued Reflecting Pool on the National Mall and that the water will need to be drained for repairs.

Trump said police arrested “many additional people” for the vandalism, though one told CNN he was merely touching a piece of partially detached blue material from the recent renovation.

A senior administration official said police arrested five people for vandalism and issued federal citations to five others. The official said there were 14 police reports over vanadlism including for an alleged incident where a more than 250-foot section was cut with a blade.

“The Reflecting Pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago,” Trump said, adding that it will repaired quickly. Trump’s recent renovation, totaling $14 million, marked the latest in the president’s efforts to beautify Washington, DC, with architectural changes that have included building a White House ballroom and refurbishing run-down fountains.

Now, what was meant to be a straightforward task to return the century-old pool to its intended glory ahead of America’s 250th anniversary has become a spectacle, drawing tourists and locals to the pool for the wrong reason...