# US drops Reflecting Pool case, admits damage caused by botched renovation

https://mins.news/en/item/11692

- France 24, 2026-08-01 06:09 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260801-us-drops-reflecting-pool-case-admits-damage-due-to-botched-renovation

> The US Justice Department has abandoned its case against a former Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The decision came as the department acknowledged that renovations ordered in haste by President Donald Trump had been botched. The admission links the damage to the renovation work rather than establishing the defendant’s responsibility. The case was dropped on Friday.

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- [Trump denounces Justice Department decision to drop Reflecting Pool charges](https://mins.news/en/item/11826) — Al Jazeera, 2026-08-01
- [Trump administration drops Reflecting Pool vandalism charge and admits ‘botched’ repairs](https://mins.news/en/item/11675) — BBC News, 2026-08-01