President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop charges against David Hearn, a former Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump claimed that vandals caused the damage, opposing Pirro’s assessment that it resulted from poor construction.
Pirro’s office filed a court document on Friday seeking to dismiss criminal charges against Hearn. He had been accused of deliberately damaging the pool, recently renovated for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. Trump acknowledged possible contractor errors but insisted that vandalism was primarily responsible for the damage.
In his social media post, Trump expressed disagreement with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., regarding the Reflecting Pool. The dropping of charges was a setback for the Justice Department, which had initially aligned with Trump’s vandalism claims and treated the prosecution as part of accountability measures for damage at this historic site, a favorite project of Trump.
Government lawyers noted in their 20-page court filing that the Interior Department provided new documents after Hearn’s indictment. These documents revealed the damage was due to a contractor’s substandard work, exacerbated by haste to complete the project before the America’s 250 events around July 4, 2026.
A recent inspection uncovered damage throughout the pool, including areas unlikely accessible to vandals. Hearn, an ex-Olympic canoeist, was charged with peeling a two-foot square section of the lining.
“Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,”
Pirro stated in her request to dismiss the case.
Trump also released a four-minute video from security footage showing three individuals with their hands in the pool. Trump claimed this video depicted vandalism involving a knife or box cutter. However, the video’s quality made it unclear if vandalism took place, as nearby workers did not react to the individuals at the pool.
In May, Trump publicized plans to enhance the Reflecting Pool by spring. The pool was drained, and Trump ordered the bottom painted in “American flag blue.” Following project completion, issues arose quickly as sections of the new liner began peeling, leading Trump to blame vandals. The National Park Service reported a June 9 incident involving suspected sharp tool damage to the liner.
This Reflecting Pool project is one of several initiatives Trump leads in the nation’s capital. Notably, he tore down the White House’s East Wing for a $400 million ballroom and plans to erect a grand arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
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