President Donald Trump publicly contradicted his own Justice Department on Saturday, saying he fully disagrees with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro over what caused damage to the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington.
Federal prosecutors dropped the case after concluding that the pool's lining peeled because of a flawed installation, not vandalism. Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform, called the damage a clear case of vandalism and questioned why Pirro would think otherwise.
The pool, which Trump had vowed to restore, has been empty and closed to the public for months. The dispute marks a rare public break between the president and an official in his own administration.