Senator Thom Tillis has voiced strong criticism of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's commitment to prosecuting individuals accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to the fullest extent of the law. Tillis, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, drew a stark contrast between this prosecutorial stance and the blanket pardons President Trump issued last year to those convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Tillis questioned the proportionality of the legal response, asking, "I don’t know what’s worse to you, vandalizing a pool or assaulting a police officer?" He expressed disbelief at the idea of prosecuting someone for minor damage to a pool liner for up to 10 years, while individuals who admitted to assaulting police officers were pardoned. "And you’ve let people that admitted to assaulting a police officer go and think I can take that person seriously? Nuh-uh," Tillis stated.
Pirro, speaking on Fox News, had declared that her office would prosecute anyone vandalizing or attempting to vandalize the reflecting pool "to the fullest extent" of the law, emphasizing that "Making DC beautiful is a priority." The reflecting pool had recently undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation by the Trump administration when issues with algae and peeling paint surfaced.
President Trump had previously warned on social media that destruction or attempted destruction of such landmarks could result in a 10-year prison sentence, which he vowed would be "fully enforced." Tillis argued that the Justice Department's aggressive approach to the reflecting pool paint issue is inconsistent with Trump's broad amnesty for Jan. 6 convictions, which involved smashed windows, ransacked offices, and serious injuries to police officers. Trump had described the pardons as ending a "grave national injustice" and initiating "a process of national reconciliation."
