Interior Department blames vandals for bubbles pouring out of World War II Memorial

Published August 13, 2026 4:57pm ET | Updated August 13, 2026 8:33pm ET



The Interior Department on Thursday said vandals were responsible for bubbles filling the National World War II Memorial fountain on the National Mall.

An Interior Department spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the bubbles were the result of vandalism, and not part of a unique cleaning process as some online users speculated. Photos of the vandalism showed mounds of bubbles in the monument’s fountain, and graffiti on the monument spelled out “Clean hands dirty $.”

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