President Donald Trump has found a new suspect in the mystery of the National Mall’s struggling Reflecting Pool: ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl.
The president delivered a Truth Social tirade on Friday night, accusing Karl of trying to damage the landmark after a video of the correspondent inspecting the pool circulated on social media earlier this week.
“Lightweight ABC Reporter, Jonathan Karl, was seen sticking his hand into the Pool, and trying to rip the rubber off of the surface,” Trump wrote.
The bizarre accusation appeared to be a response to video posted on Thursday showing Karl at the Reflecting Pool while reporting on its ongoing algae and maintenance problems.
In the video, Karl can be seen reaching into the water to examine the condition of the newly renovated attraction.
“The $14 million job to redo the bottom of this reflecting pool is falling apart before our eyes,” Karl said in the video.
“The algae is still here, but the paint appears to be going away.”
Trump responded by accusing unnamed vandals of damaging the site and pouring chemicals into the water, while also suggesting Karl himself had attempted to pull up the lining.
The president offered no evidence for the claim but said law enforcement was investigating.
He also insisted the algae problem was “75% gone” and would soon be fully resolved.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The Reflecting Pool has become an unexpected headache for the White House after Trump personally championed a plan to repaint the basin in what he called “American flag blue.”
The project was originally expected to cost about $1.8 million and take a week to complete. Instead, it stretched for nearly two months and ultimately cost taxpayers an estimated $14 million.
The problems began almost immediately after the pool reopened earlier this month.
Within days, a major algae bloom turned much of the water green, undermining Trump’s promise of a more picturesque landmark.
Researchers who analyzed satellite imagery later found higher algal levels in the pool than at any point in June over the previous five years.
Federal workers have since spent days vacuuming algae from the 6.5-million-gallon pool and treating the water with hydrogen peroxide.
The project has also drawn scrutiny over the awarding of a $1.7 million water-purification contract to a company linked to longtime Trump donor, and convicted felon, John J. Cafaro, according to a New York Times report.
Department of the Interior spokeswoman Katie Martin said the agency had no idea about Cafaro’s political ties and chose Greenwater because it “had the expertise, workforce and materials” to finish on time, she told the Times.
