\n<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON — <\/span>Congressional Democrats called for investigations Wednesday into renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the ongoing drama over the president\u2019s problem-plagued, $16 million rehabilitation project<\/a> continued to roil the capital. <\/p>\n Lawmakers in the House and Senate demanded answers about the saga that’s been highlighted in the news cycle for weeks, even as the White House has repeatedly blamed \u2014 without evidence \u2014 unidentified vandals for peeling paint<\/a> and other problems. Six people have been arrested<\/a>, President Donald Trump said, without providing details, and a local wildlife nonprofit conducted necropsies on dead ducks<\/a> found near the Reflecting Pool. The president has said the pool may need to be drained once again for additional repairs.<\/p>\n Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, challenged the Trump administration over no-bid contracts for work on the Reflecting Pool, saying they were awarded to vendors with previous relationships to Trump. <\/p>\n National Park Service projects undertaken at Trump\u2019s behest in the Washington area \u201chave been marked by blatant corruption, a shocking lack of transparency, disregard for legal requirements and apparent incompetence,\u201d Blumenthal wrote Wednesday in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Jessica Bowron, the acting Park Service director.<\/p>\n \u201cRushed no-bid contracts given to unqualified vendors with previous relationships to the president resulted in a reflecting pool more covered with algae than before, with freshly painted chunks of paint peeling from the bottom to float on the pool\u2019s surface,\u201d Blumenthal said.<\/p>\n The nation’s capital \u201cwill now celebrate America’s 250th birthday with an empty reflecting pool, a testament to incompetence and corruption,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Ohio-based Green Water Solutions<\/a> was given a $1.7 million contract to install a water-purification system in the Reflecting Pool, while Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings<\/a> was awarded $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool\u2019s concrete floor.<\/p>\n Both contractors have ties to Trump entities, said California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.<\/p>\n Trump pledged to beautify the century-old Reflecting Pool ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations, draining its water and directing the bottom to be painted a color he dubbed \u201cAmerican flag blue.\u201d But since the site was restored, its water has been plagued by an algae bloom<\/a> and pieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off the bottom.<\/p>\n The White House and Interior Department did not respond to requests for comment on the Democrats’ claims.<\/p>\n Without evidence, Trump has repeatedly blamed the peeling paint on vandalism, including a \u201c350-foot gash\u201d in the liner, as the administration faces a self-imposed deadline to complete the renovation<\/a> before July 4th. Trump also has said the federal government would release images to substantiate his claim. None were made public as of Wednesday.<\/p>\n Trump said Wednesday that \u201csick people\u201d had used razors and box cutters to slice portions of the lining. He wasn\u2019t sure if the pool draining would come before or after the July 4 holiday, during which tens of thousands of people will be at the National Mall.<\/p>\n \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s disastrous renovation of our national reflecting pool is his latest failed vanity project,\u201d Garcia said, calling the projects a waste of taxpayer money.<\/p>\n The owner of Green Water Solutions, John Cafaro, is a Trump donor who lives near Mar-a-Lago, the president\u2019s private club in Florida. <\/p>\n Atlantic Industrial Coatings is owned by Curtis \u201cEddie\u201d Wood. The company said this week it has identified some areas in the Reflecting Pool that require repairs, adding that the work will done once the pool is drained. It was unclear when that will happen.<\/p>\n Amid the calls for investigations, Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado called for Trump to personally reimburse American taxpayers for the pool renovations, which he called \u201ca national embarrassment.\u201d<\/p>\n Americans expect their tax dollars \u201cto fix roads, support schools and protect our public lands,\u201d Hickenlooper wrote in a letter to Trump. \u201cThey do not expect to bankroll failed presidential vanity projects. The bill for this fiasco should only belong to you, Mr. President.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard contributed to this story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n