Trump’s Mall Cops Launch Aggressive Crackdown Over Slimy Pool Project

I watched 14—yes, fourteen—cops question one woman for 30 minutes.

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Reuters

The area around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was teeming with law enforcement officers on Monday after President Donald Trump claimed his botched renovation was being vandalized.

I witnessed an over-the-top scene on Monday where officials had detained a young woman near the pool.

More than a dozen officials surrounded the woman who sat alone on the ground, including armed members of the U.S. Park Police, U.S. Marshals, National Guard, and even a man in a Sarpy County Sheriff vest, which is located in Nebraska.

There were three U.S. Park Police vehicles on the scene and multiple National Park Service crew vehicles. I observed several other officers who came over the course of about half an hour.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

The young woman, who appeared to be in her twenties or thirties, handed over her ID at one point, was patted down, and had her bag searched. She was also seen speaking with several officers at different times when not seated on the grass surrounding the pool.

A small crowd of tourists and photographers gathered to watch the over-the-top scene unfold. According to a witness I spoke to, the situation rapidly escalated after the woman was spotted seated next to the Reflecting Pool with her hand in the water.