President Donald Trump criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Monday, saying she folded like an umbrella after her office moved to drop destruction of property charges against a former Olympic canoeist accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.
President Trump Criticizes U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro Over Dropped Charges
President Donald Trump launched sharp criticism against U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro on Monday, telling reporters at an Oval Office event that the top federal prosecutor choked
by moving to dismiss charges against former Olympian David Hearn. Hearn had been accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during a visit to the National Mall in June, according to reporting from apnews.com.
The move to drop the case against Hearn and three other defendants represents a rare moment of public friction during Trump’s second term between the president and a political appointee he personally selected. Trump initially aired his grievances over the weekend on social media, writing on Truth Social that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro should re-visit her hastily made decision,
according to MS NOW. By Monday, the president’s tone had sharpened during his remarks following an executive order signing for military spouses.
“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 went after her department, and I guess she choked. I don’t know what the hell happened.”
Dispute Over Vandalism Versus Shoddy Construction
At the heart of the standoff is a fundamental disagreement over what caused damage to the troubled project. Trump has repeatedly insisted that the pool suffered from intentional destruction, writing that Now that people are able to see it up close, they are reporting pure VANDALISM at The Reflecting Pool,
and sharing images that revealed cuts in the expansion joints on the side of the pool. The president also claimed that Hearn was a big player in ActBlue,
which he described as a scam fundraising platform.
Hearn has defended his actions by explaining that he was on a bike ride on June 19 when he reached into the water out of curiosity and briefly touched a detached pool liner and a chunk attached to the side of the pool, obeying a park worker who told him to let go. Alongside Hearn’s dropped felony charge, online court records show that misdemeanor charges for destruction of property valued at less than $1,000 have also been dismissed against Justin Carreno, Cameron Thiers, and Sophie Dennison-Gibby, who had all pleaded not guilty after being accused of removing pieces of paint from the pool.
Contractor Scrutiny and Future Repairs for the National Mall
The ongoing controversy also drew attention to the firm hired to renovate the pool in time for Independence Day celebrations. Trump stated in April that he consulted with swimming pool firms connected to his properties and selected Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which received a $14.7 million no-bid contract to repaint and waterproof the concrete floor. While Trump initially praised the contractor, he distanced himself on Monday, stating, I didn’t know the contractor,
and noting that the company was rushing to finish the work in time for July 4th.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy, a lawyer who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, weighed in on the situation regarding the legal proceedings, noting, All I know is, you better not go before a federal judge and make allegations you can’t back up,
while adding his expectation that Hearn might sue or file for compensation under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
Crews drained the Reflecting Pool weeks ago to initiate a new round of repairs. Although the administration did not seek competitive bids for this latest work, Trump announced that the pool would be fixed and reopened within the next week and a half to two weeks.
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