Key facts
- Charges were dropped against David Hearn for alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
- The Attorney's Office cited issues with the Reflecting Pool's lining and blamed the Interior Department.
- President Trump criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, stating she "choked" and "folded like an umbrella."
- Trump initially praised the contractor for the Reflecting Pool project but later claimed he did not know them.
- Charges have also been dropped against three other individuals in similar cases.
President Donald Trump publicly criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for moving to drop charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump stated Pirro "choked" and "folded like an umbrella" under judicial pressure, expressing disappointment with her assessment that damage was due to shoddy construction rather than vandalism.
The move to dismiss charges against David Hearn was seen as an embarrassing setback for the Justice Department. Hearn stated he briefly touched the pool's coating while on a bike ride but obeyed a park worker's instruction to let go. Charges have also been dropped against three other individuals accused of removing paint from the Reflecting Pool.
Trump also used the occasion to distance himself from the project, for which his administration awarded a $14.7 million no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings. While he previously praised the contractor, he insisted Monday that he did not know them and was not entirely pleased with the work, though the project was rushed to open for July 4th celebrations.
Pirro was seen entering the White House on Monday evening, as was Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who has defended the president's suggestions of vandalism. Republican Senator John Kennedy commented that prosecutors must be able to back up allegations made before a federal judge. Randall Eliason, a former prosecutor in Pirro's office, suggested the case lacked evidence of vandalism and that the decision to drop charges was the Justice Department's alone.
Pirro's office pointed to statistics demonstrating achievements during the Biden administration, stating that only "5-7 percent" of arrests result in dropped cases now, compared to two-thirds during the Biden administration. Since Pirro's arrival, her office has filed 67 percent more cases in Superior Court and obtained over 7,000 convictions.