“A 75-ton tank would definitely be prohibited.” “e don’t allow buses or even emergency vehicles on the bridge,” the DOT official wrote. That was too much weight to roll across the Arlington Memorial Bridge, a DOT official wrote to Shawn Benge of the National Park Service on July 2. The Abrams tank “destroys the enemy using mobility, firepower, and shock effect,” according to the Army. Officials were considering alternatives to the Abrams tanks, the emails show, in the event that they were deemed too heavy. “I don’t even know if NCR has a structural engineer now.” Can this wait?…NOOO,” Tepper wrote on June 26. “I have back-to-back meetings this morning, so won’t be in the office until after lunch. Litterst asked Tepper if she or another colleague could check with the National Capital Region about finding a structural engineer. She wrote back: “This question is impossible for me to answer definitively and really requires the expertise of a structural engineer.” She added, “We are not equipped with the technical know-how to determine what the site can accommodate.” He wound up asking Audrey Tepper, the park service’s historical architect, about the weight limitations. “Who is our subject matter on weights and impact on the plaza/grounds?” National Park Service spokesperson Mike Litterst wrote in an email. That set off a search within the park service for an expert on how much weight the plaza could hold. “I know that’s a tough challenge and as you stated exceptionally problematic, but want to see what we can do to meet POTUS’ intent,” the White House official wrote. The White House official, whose name was redacted in the emails, later followed up with the park service to ask for help figuring out whether the area around the memorial could hold the tanks’ weight. On June 25, the operations director for the White House military office met with park service officials to discuss their options. Jeff Reinbold, the superintendent of the National Mall and memorial parks, wrote a June 2 email to National Park Service officials titled “Limitations of Lincoln Plaza,” where he warned of the “potential failure of the East Plaza / Approachway under the weight of an Abrams tank.”īut Trump’s plan for tanks rolled along. In June 2019, government officials were worried about the logistics of getting tanks to the Lincoln Memorial, the emails show. ‘Exceptionally problematic’ tanksīut for months leading up to the event, Trump appointees and civil servants were hustling to put all the pieces in place. Bradley Fighting Vehicles were parked in front of the president, who gave a 47-minute speech behind bulletproof glass at the Lincoln Memorial.
The Navy’s Blue Angels flew above the crowd that gathered despite the rainy night.
They offer a look behind the scenes at how Trump appointees and other government officials scrambled to grant the president’s wish for an epic July 4th bash, despite concerns about damaging the Lincoln Memorial, the threat of rain and an algae outbreak. Those emails, containing communications regarding Trump’s “Salute to America” plans, were requested by the Associated Press in July 2019 and just released Tuesday. The president’s ostentatious plans set off a monthslong frenzy of planning by government aides, including National Park Service employees and military officials tasked with overseeing the logistics of the event, according to a tranche of emails posted on NPS’s website.
He wanted a grandiose fireworks display, a military flyover and tanks at the Lincoln Memorial.
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