According to exclusive reporting by the Washington Post , “The Interior Department had publicly blamed damage to the pool’s new liner on ‘vandals,’ a claim echoed by Trump and prosecutors who pressed charges against several people. “Numerous questions remain: How was the vandalism lie cooked up? How did it get to President Trump’s desk? According to the Post, “A spokesman for the inspector general declined to comment on the letter. The inspector general, which is intended to be an independent watchdog of the agency’s actions, is not bound to open an investigation.”