President Donald Trump criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after her office dropped charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, declaring that she choked under pressure and folded like an umbrella during the high-profile federal case.
The decision to dismiss the case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn created a rare public rift between President Donald Trump and a handpicked political appointee during his second term. Trump made his sharp objections clear in a pair of social media posts before doubling down during an Oval Office appearance, where he insisted that the pool damage was a pure case of VANDALISM
rather than the result of poor construction work.
Federal Prosecutors Reverse Course After New Interior Department Evidence
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia moved to drop the case after obtaining new documentation that undermined the original indictment. Prosecutors stated that information received from the Interior Department indicated the damage to the pool was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings,
rather than intentional destruction by visitors.
Hearn had been indicted on July 2 after being arrested in June following observations that the pool was covered in green algae with pieces of its blue sealant peeling away. Prosecutors alleged that Hearn was forcefully pulling up the bottom liner of the pool. Hearn pleaded not guilty, maintaining that the pool’s condition remained unchanged after he stepped away from the water.
The Justice Department acknowledged that it would not have sought a grand jury indictment had it initially received the documents provided by the Interior Department after the initial charges were filed. Alongside Hearn’s case, prosecutors also moved to dismiss at least one of the other three misdemeanor cases against individuals accused of removing pieces of paint from the pool, according to online court records documenting the dropped misdemeanor charges against Justin Carreno, Cameron Thiers, and Sophie Dennison-Gibby.
Public Rebuke and White House Friction
Trump made no secret of his frustration with the U.S. attorney’s handling of the prosecution, publicly stating on social media his complete disagreement with the decision to drop the case. The president later expanded on his criticism during an event at the White House.
“Frankly, I think she choked because the judge was really vicious. Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and her department, and I guess she choked.”
President Donald Trump, via Associated Press
While Trump ducked questions regarding whether he planned to remove Pirro from her post, she was later spotted arriving at the White House on Monday evening alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Burgum continued to defend the administration’s position that vandalism caused significant damage to the pool, pointing to expert and eyewitness testimony provided by his office to federal prosecutors.
Scrutiny Over the Reflecting Pool Renovation Contract
The controversy also drew renewed attention to the underlying renovation work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump had previously championed the project as part of his capital improvement efforts, noting in April that he consulted with swimming pool firms before awarding a $14.7 million no-bid contract to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings to repaint and waterproof the concrete floor.
Despite his past involvement in selecting the contractor, Trump distanced himself from the firm during his remarks, stating that he did not personally know the contractor and expressing reservations about the hurried pace of the work required to prepare the pool for Independence Day celebrations.
Potential Legal Fallout and Cleanup Timeline
Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy remarked on the situation, warning that federal prosecutors must be certain of their allegations before bringing cases to court. Hearn’s defense attorney, Steven Levin, argued that the government’s approach exemplified a ready, shoot, aim
mentality and asserted that the federal government owes his client an apology for an unwarranted arrest.
Crews drained the pool weeks ago to initiate a new round of repairs. While the administration did not seek competitive bids for the latest fixes, Trump stated that the Reflecting Pool would be fully repaired and reopened within the next week and a half to two weeks.
