President Trump has reiterated his claim that vandals damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and urged U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro to reconsider dismissing the related criminal case. His intervention exposes a public disagreement within his administration over whether the damage was criminal vandalism or the result of defective renovation work.

Prosecutors said newly available Interior Department material suggested the widespread damage stemmed from a contractor’s flawed installation and a rushed refurbishment timetable ahead of America 250 events, making a vandalism charge difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt. The case concerned former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, accused of removing a two-foot section of liner, while the $14.7 million project included repainting and waterproofing the pool floor.