Trump Threatens Prison Time as Reflecting Pool Disaster Gets Worse
Source: The New Republic · Bias: Left
Summary
Anyone caught tampering with Donald Trump’s Washington-area restoration projects could be on the hook for significant prison time.The president warned against vandalizing the monuments and statues that his administration has been trying to clean ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. In a Truth Social post, Trump pledged that anyone caught will face up to 10 years in prison.“Please remember that there is a 10 year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things - Which will be fully enforced!” Trump wrote Monday.Federal law already stipulates that damage to federal property exceeding $1,000 is classified as a felony. As such, the penalties are steep, possibly including a significant fine, a prison sentence of up to 10 years, or both. Those charged with damaging federal property to the tune of less than $1,000 could face a misdemeanor and a one-year prison sentence.At least five people have been arrested for allegedly vandalizing the pool as of Saturday night, a Trump administration official told CBS News. Five citations were also issued, bringing the grand total of post-renovation citations issued at the site to 14. In the same message, Trump claimed that the lining of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool had suffered a “300 foot long gash”—an inexplicable jump from the 250 foot long damage he described Saturday.He added that “chemicals have been illegally placed in the water” and complained about the “8647” etched into the National Mall. He further suggested that the damage was “probably inspired by Dirty Cop, James Comey,” who was indicted by a federal grand jury in April for sharing a photo of seashells to his Instagram account that similarly spelled out “8647,” a tagline that Trump and his allies have claimed insinuates a desire for Trump’s death.
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Daily Analysis
Read the full Parallax Pulse for June 22, 2026 — an AI-powered analysis of how Left and Right media covered the biggest stories this day.
More Headlines From June 22, 2026
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigns (Center)
- Reflecting Pool repairs become personal for Trump (Center Left)
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