A Second No-Bid Reflecting Pool Contract Went to a Trump Donor and Mar-a-Lago Neighbor Who Admitted to Bribing a Congressman

The New York Times reports that Greenwater Services, an Ohio firm, received a $1.7 million no-bid contract to install the "ozone nanobubbler" filtration system in the Reflecting Pool. The company is owned by the J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust, led by John J. Cafaro — a Trump donor, Mar-a-Lago neighbor, and a man Trump has called "a fantastic man." Cafaro admitted to providing an "unlawful gratuity" (a bribe) to former Rep. James Traficant and to committing perjury in federal court; he received probation while Traficant got eight years. The company listed Cafaro's Palm Beach mansion as its Florida address and his investment trust's phone number in Ohio lobbying records. The White House says Trump "was not involved" in selecting Greenwater. This is the second no-bid Reflecting Pool contract given to a Trump-connected firm — the first, $13.1 million to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, went to a company whose prior pool work was at Trump's golf club. Combined cost: nearly $15 million. The pool is green. The two miles of faulty pipes that cause the algae problem remain unfixed.

The Reflecting Pool now has two no-bid contractors. Both are connected to Trump. One worked on his golf club pools. The other is owned by a Mar-a-Lago neighbor who admitted to bribing a congressman. The pool is green.

The second contractor

The New York Times reported on June 18 that the National Park Service bypassed the competitive-bidding process and awarded a $1.7 million no-bid contract to Greenwater Services of Brookfield, Ohio, to install the "ozone nanobubbler" water-purification system in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Federal contracting records show the firm's ultimate owner is the J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust, led by John J. Cafaro.

Who is John J. Cafaro:

A longtime Republican donor and contributor to Trump
A neighbor to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private club in Palm Beach
A man Trump has publicly called "a fantastic man"
Greenwater Services listed Cafaro's Palm Beach mansion as its Florida address in corporate records
The company listed Cafaro's investment trust's phone number and email in Ohio lobbying records

The bribery scandal

John J. Cafaro admitted to providing an "unlawful gratuity" — a bribe — to former Rep. James Traficant Jr. (D-OH) and to committing perjury in federal court.

Cafaro cooperated as a government witness in the massive Mahoning Valley corruption probe, which convicted more than 70 people including a judge, a prosecutor, a sheriff, and a congressional aide. Traficant was convicted on all 10 federal charges — racketeering, bribery, tax evasion, and fraud — and sentenced to eight years in prison.

Cafaro's punishment for admitting to bribery and perjury: a fine and probation. No prison time.

This is the man whose trust owns the company that the federal government selected — without competition — to fix the president's pet project.

The White House response

A White House spokeswoman said the president "was not involved" in selecting Greenwater Services.

The Interior Department said Greenwater was the only firm with the expertise to install the nanobubbler technology on the required timeline.

This is the same justification given for the first no-bid contract — Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a company whose website describes its specialty as waterproofing highway culverts, pipes, roofs, and industrial storage tanks, with no mention of pool work.

Two contractors, zero bids

The full picture of the Reflecting Pool renovation:

	Atlantic Industrial Coatings	Greenwater Services
Contract	$13.1 million	$1.7 million
Work	Seal joints, waterproof, paint blue	Install nanobubbler filtration
Competitive bid?	No	No
First federal contract?	Yes	Yes
Trump connection	Prior work at Trump National Golf Club	Owned by trust of Trump donor / Mar-a-Lago neighbor
Problems	Failed to seal concrete twice; 20% profit margin (double federal norm)	Nanobubbler has not prevented algae

Combined cost: nearly $15 million — for a project the president initially said would cost $1.8 million.

What they didn't fix

The Park Service identified three tasks needed for the Reflecting Pool:

Reseal the concrete joints — done (after two failed attempts)
Apply waterproof coating and paint — done
Replace two miles of faulty pipes in the filtration system — not done

The Interior Department said it has plans to start the pipe replacement "in the fall."

This is the infrastructure that actually causes the algae problem. The pipes circulating water to the filtration plant frequently rupture under soil pressure. Without functional pipes, the filtration system — including the $1.7 million nanobubbler installed by the president's donor — cannot keep up.

They spent $15 million on paint and a filtration system for a pool whose pipes don't work. It would be like buying a $1.7 million engine for a car with no transmission.

The pattern

The Reflecting Pool is not an isolated case. The administration's approach to the 250th birthday preparations follows a pattern:

Reflecting Pool painting: $13.1 million no-bid contract to a firm from Trump's golf club
Reflecting Pool filtration: $1.7 million no-bid contract to a firm owned by a Trump donor
UFC Freedom 250: fighters paid in Trump family crypto, $12,000 coins with Trump's face, TKO stock purchase
Kennedy Center: renamed after Trump without congressional authority, name pried off by court order

Public Citizen filed Freedom of Information Act requests on May 12, saying the project fit "a pattern of no-bid, high-cost Trump pet projects." Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) opened a probe into the ballooning costs and contractor selection.

The result

As of this writing, the Reflecting Pool remains plagued by algae. Workers from Greenwater Services were seen on-site filling plastic water bottles with samples from the pool. The nanobubbler is running. The hydrogen peroxide continues. One worker said it could take "an entire lifetime."

Nearly $15 million. Two no-bid contracts. Two Trump-connected firms. A convicted briber's company. A golf club contractor. A color that guarantees algae. Broken pipes they didn't fix. And a pool that is, stubbornly, defiantly, green.