ABC faces legal threat as Trump challenges Reflecting Pool cost reports

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ABC faces legal threat over costs

Highlights

Trump threatens lawsuits against ABC over reporting repair costs exceeding $14.65 million for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, alleging false coverage and seeking funds for the U.S. Treasury.
ABC highlights a $4 million budget overrun on the no-bid repainting contract and a separate $1.74 million expenditure for a Green Water Solutions algae treatment, bringing total project costs above $16 million.
The Federal Communications Commission, chaired by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, is investigating ABC and has mandated early license renewal applications for eight ABC stations not due until at least 2028.

Dispute over repair costs and reporting

As first reported by CNBC, Trump says he is preparing lawsuits against ABC over what he calls false reporting on the cost of repairing damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. In a Truth Social post, he argues the network omitted spending by previous administrations and claims that Barack Obama and Joe Biden spent more than $100 million on the site, without providing evidence for that figure.

Prior reporting by PBS indicates that the Obama administration spent about $35 million on repairs to the monument, while no major repairs to the pool are known to have taken place during the Biden administration. Trump also says the damage was caused by vandalism and tells reporters on Monday that a "350-foot slit" was cut with a box-cutter or similar knife, while the White House has not provided evidence that the damage was intentional.

Trump adds that he wants money from any lawsuit to go to the U.S. Treasury and references ABC's 2024 defamation settlement with him. The network paid $15 million toward Trump's presidential library and another $1 million in legal fees.

Regulatory pressure deepens scrutiny on ABC

Last week, ABC reported that the cost to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool had risen to more than $14.65 million, exceeding the original estimate for the no-bid contract by more than $4 million, according to federal contract data. The broadcaster also highlighted a separate $1.74 million contract for Ohio-based Green Water Solutions to install a nano bubble system to kill algae, which would bring the full project cost to more than $16 million.

The legal threat comes as ABC faces two investigations from the Federal Communications Commission under chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee. The FCC also requires ABC to submit early renewal applications for eight local broadcasting licenses, even though those stations reportedly are not due to apply until 2028 at the earliest.

That step follows renewed tension between Trump and the network after comedian Jimmy Kimmel joked about First Lady Melania Trump and the president called for Kimmel's firing. On Monday, ABC says it is launching an on-air campaign urging viewers to support the network after its daytime talk show "The View" comes under investigation under federal equal-time rules for political candidates.

The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of oil and gas rules on federal lands outlined plans to lower financial bonding requirements for well cleanup and sharply shorten public input windows for drilling permits. Our earlier coverage also noted efforts to relax methane-related compliance requirements, framing the changes as a push to accelerate domestic fossil-fuel production while raising concerns about reduced environmental safeguards.

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