Fact Check: Did a Trump donor receive a $1.7M no-bid contract for Lincoln Pool repairs?

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid growing scrutiny over the Trump administration’s $14 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a claim circulating online alleges that the federal government awarded a $1.7 million contract to a company owned by a Trump donor for a new water-clearing system. The claims also show the contract was issued as the Reflecting Pool faced ongoing issues, including algae concerns and problems linked to the recent restoration work. Let's fact-check the claim.

Claim: Trump donor received a $1.7M no-bid contract for Reflecting Pool repairs

Green Water Solutions, an Ohio-based company, received a no-bid contract to install a “Nano Bubble” filtration system at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Federal contracting records identify the company’s owner as the JJ Cafaro Investment Trust, which John J Cafaro controls. Federal Election Commission records show that Cafaro has contributed to Republican candidates and conservative groups, including Trump-related fundraising groups. Records also show that he has donated to some Democratic candidates in the past.

Cafaro is a businessman and real estate developer. He pleaded guilty in 2010 to campaign finance violations related to donations made to his daughter’s congressional campaign. Nearly a decade earlier, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe Democratic Rep James Traficant and later cooperated with prosecutors. Cafaro and his wife also own a home in Palm Beach, Florida, near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services, has previously worked on a property connected to the Trump Organization. The company shared photos on LinkedIn showing water treatment work it performed on a pond at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The company was later selected to address problems at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a historic site that has faced algae issues for years. President Trump has shown personal interest in the pool’s renovation, visiting the site and choosing the sealant color for the pool floor.

In April, the Department of the Interior awarded Green Water Solutions a contract to install the Nano Bubble system and replace the pool’s existing filtration system. The government awarded the contract without a full competitive bidding process, citing an emergency contracting rule for situations requiring “unusual and compelling urgency.” Officials said the project needed to be completed before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations on July 4. They also said the Nano Bubble technology is highly specialized and has only a limited number of domestic suppliers.

Fact Check: The claim is true

The claim is true. But, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers rejected claims of a potential conflict of interest, saying the Department of the Interior awarded the contract and that the White House had no role in selecting the company.

John J Cafaro told The Vindicator, a local newspaper in Youngstown, Ohio, on Friday, June 19, that President Trump was not aware of his company’s work on the Reflecting Pool project. Cafaro said he would never discuss the contract with Trump because he did not want to put the president in an uncomfortable position. He also questioned why the contract had become an issue, arguing that the system was working to remove algae and that criticism was coming from people who oppose Trump.

Federal contracting records also show that the government awarded a separate $14.7 million no-bid contract to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings to install sealant on the Reflecting Pool’s floor.

Problems emerged several days after workers refilled the pool. Algae appeared in the water earlier in the week, and by Thursday, part of the newly installed surface appeared to peel off. An Interior Department spokesperson said the algae was caused by residual algae left in stagnant water inside the pool’s supply lines, describing it as part of the normal startup process. The department later said on X that the Nano Bubble system had effectively eliminated the algae.

Workers were later seen cleaning algae from the pool and adding hydrogen peroxide to the water. Crews also installed the Nano Bubble system as part of the ongoing cleanup effort.