no-bid Reflecting – President Donald Trump spent more than $14 million to revitalize the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool. Days after the project was completed, algae formed and new paint at the bottom began to peel and rise. The administration awarded a no-bid contract to Gree
A few days after President Donald Trump’s team finished repainting and refurbishing the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool, the first signs of trouble surfaced where visitors were supposed to see a restored centerpiece.
Algae began to form in the pool. Then the new coat of paint installed at the bottom began to peel and rise to the surface.
The money behind the work has also been under scrutiny: Trump spent more than $14 million to revitalize the pool, and critics have seized on how quickly the results unraveled.
The administration awarded the project through a no-bid contract to Greenwater Services, an Ohio-based company. The company is owned by the J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust, led by John J. Cafaro.
On Friday morning, former Department of Labor judge Moe Davis used social media to spotlight Cafaro’s past. Davis posted a tweet that pointed out Cafaro was previously convicted for bribing a member of Congress. and Davis also included a photo of Cafaro. In the same post, Davis referenced a second conviction involving an illegal loan that violated campaign finance laws.
Social media seized on Cafaro in a different way—less about the legal history and more about the visual reaction. Atlantic writer Tom Nichols joked about Cafaro’s “clever pool trap,” adding that it would “kill Batman for sure,” implying a resemblance to the Batman villain Penguin.
Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor called Cafaro “incredible,” and suggested Netflix make him the subject of a documentary series.
Other posts spread through comic-book, mobster, and sports-entertainment references, all orbiting the same moment: the Reflecting Pool project that was supposed to restore a national landmark, and the photo of the donor and business figure now tied to the no-bid contract.
“Hello, Central Casting? This guy you sent over for the incompetent no-bid pool guy… just too on-the-nose.” wrote Michael McKean.
Jeff Timmer went further, saying, “This cannot be a real human person. I’m thinking Andy Kaufman has been incognito for 40+ years just to set up a genius comedic long-con.”
PoliticsGirl added: “How much clearer does the criminal enterprise have to be? We’re looking at comic book level characters at this point.”
The online reaction came quickly enough to turn a policy controversy into a spectacle—yet the underlying facts remain stark: the project was awarded without bids to an Ohio company connected to Cafaro. the work reportedly suffered visible failures just days after completion. and the person now in the spotlight has been publicly tied to prior convictions involving bribery and campaign finance violations.
As the images from the pool circulate, the question is no longer only what went wrong at the Lincoln Memorial—but who benefited from the contract and how quickly the damage was on display.
Reflecting Pool Lincoln Memorial Donald Trump Greenwater Services John J. Cafaro Moe Davis no-bid contract bribery conviction campaign finance violations algae paint peeling
Why is the pool turning into algae already? Like come on.
So they spent 14 million and it peels like cheap paint? That’s wild. Also no-bid contracts always sound shady to me even when it’s not.
Wait I thought this was just like routine maintenance? But the article says bribery and campaign finance violations? I’m confused—algae doesn’t feel like a bribe thing though. Maybe the “no-bid” is why the paint failed? Idk.
Can’t believe they’re calling it a “pool trap” like Batman?? But also I guess if it looks like that Penguin guy then whatever, still shouldn’t happen. If the company is connected to John J. Cafaro or whatever and he has convictions… does that mean Trump’s team picked the wrong people, or is it just painting chemistry? Either way, 14 million for it to start peeling in days is embarrassing.