Trump says arrests made over alleged vandalism at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

Algae has been forming in the pool following a nearly $14M renovation.

President Donald Trump said Saturday afternoon that the U.S. Park Police had arrested multiple people he alleged were vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has been plagued with algae and peeling paint in the days since the Trump administration completed a costly renovation.

Visitors have been flocking to the pool over the weekend and some have taken to social media with photos and videos showing the algae and peeling paint.

Trump did not get into specifics in his post about the alleged vandalism that prompted the arrests.

"These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail," Trump wrote on social media.

The Interior Department recently completed a repainting job on the the Reflecting Pool that cost more than $14.65 million, which was $4 million more than the estimated cost.

Trump pledged Saturday that work would begin "immediately" to repair the peeling lining.

The president's comments came as he made unsubstantiated accusations overnight that the painted surface of the Reflecting Pool had been sabotaged with chemicals.

In a follow-up social media post, Trump said the Reflecting Pool would likely need to be partially drained to repair the peeling lining, which he once again claimed, without evidence, was damaged by intentional sabotage.

"We met with contractors today, will probably be forced to release and drain much of the water in order to do the necessary repairs, but will have them done as quickly as possible," Trump said of the pool's condition.

In his post, Trump referenced the giant "86 47" marked in grass on the National Mall and claimed that "corrosive and destructive chemicals" were poured into the pool by vandals, causing the lining to peel.

The president also alleged that someone "took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250 foot long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete."

It was not clear if he was referring to the lining of the Reflecting Pool, or to damage to another monument.

"What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly," Trump said.

The U.S. Park Police did not immediately respond to ABC News to questions about any of the arrests referenced by Trump in his post.

Hours before he made his announcement of the arrests, Trump shared a Daily Mail article about an arrest Friday of a man near the Reflecting Pool.

The Washington Post identified the man Saturday as 67-year-old David Hearn, a three-time U.S. Olympian canoeist.

But in an interview with the Post, Hearn denied damaging the pool.

"I didn't vandalize anything," Hearn said. "I didn't destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs."

Describing his actions to the Post, Hearn said, "I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece. It was still attached to the bottom. I didn't remove anything."

According to the Post, Hearn was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property and is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.

Attorney information for Hearn was not immediately available.

-ABC News' Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

Sponsored Content by Taboola