Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool (photo by Jordan Conradson)The National Park Service plans to drain the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and begin repairs to the damage caused by vandalism after the Fourth of July, according to new court filings. Trump said last week that the pool would be drained to fix the vandalism caused by leftists ripping out the blue sealant and pouring corrosive chemicals in the water. The President said earlier this week that the water would be drained “either immediately before or after the Fourth of July, to do the permanent repair,” while announcing that “Six people have been arrested, and seven people have been cited, for the damage they did to our Country’s now beautiful Reflecting Pool.”Trump has also said the vandals will face 10 years in prison for the destruction of government property.Now, the National Park Service is arguing in court that the vandalism occurred.As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, a preservation group sued the Trump Administration to block his renovation of the pool last month, arguing “The vivid blue coating will fundamentally alter the visual and experiential character of the pool and the broader Lincoln Memorial Grounds landscape.”Attorneys for the Trump Administration on Wednesday battled new claims from the nonprofit that the recent vandalism and algae bloom in the pool reinforce its initial lawsuit.The response from the Trump Administration asserts that the sealant at the bottom of the pool has been “cut with a sharp knife or razor” by vandals. They further argue that “70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool.” Per CNN:“The National Park Service plans to begin draining the reflecting pool following the Independence Day celebration to conduct repairs, including assessing and repairing any damage to the lining,” NPS Deputy Director for Operations Frank Lands said in the filing.Lands, in the filing, also furthered the Trump administration’s allegations of vandalism, saying in the filing that about “70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool,” and a caulk over the foam sealant “was cut with a sharp knife or razor.”The deputy director’s declaration was filed as part of an ongoing legal battle over the pool, which has been riddled with issues in recent weeks from claims of vandalism to algae bloom and peeling blue material.Trump has faced accusations of lying about the vandalism, as the Democrats and left-wing media try to claim that the damage was caused by the contractors and a failed renovation.Large portions of the bottom have been ripped out, and several people have been arrested for the destruction since last week.The National Park Service is now asking for help in identifying at least one vandal who was seen in surveillance video allegedly “destroying and removing a piece of the lining and attempting destruction of the lining.” The Interior Department released the tapes on Tuesday.WATCH:!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/u2vbt6g"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");Rumble("play", {"video":"v79jvjo","div":"rumble_v79jvjo"});Trump went off on the Fake News media in the Oval Office when they attempted to deny that vandalism of the pool was occurring this week. “You’ll see it in court, you’ll see it in court, but all you have to do is call the Parks Department, call the Department of Interior, and I don’t know if their lawyers will allow you to speak to them because you know you write fake— you write fake news, but call the Interior Department,” Trump told reporters when asked for proof of the vandalism.On Tuesday, Trump also announced that lawsuits are being prepared against ABC. “We are preparing lawsuits against ABC for false reporting. I like their money, which will be given to the U.S. Treasury!” Trump said.Trump NUKES “ABC FAKE NEWS” – Says Lawsuits Being Prepared for False Reporting on Reflecting Pool: “I Like Their Money, Which Will Be Given to the U.S. Treasury!”/*! This file is auto-generated */!function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i