President Donald Trump has publicly rebuked U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for dismissing felony vandalism charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn.
Dismissal of Charges Against David Hearn
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia moved to dismiss felony destruction of property charges against 67-year-old David Hearn on Friday. Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, had been indicted by a grand jury on July 2 following his arrest on June 19. Prosecutors initially alleged that Hearn had been forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner
of the Lincoln Memorial nbcnews.com.
However, a court filing revealed that the Justice Department’s investigation concluded the pool’s degradation was not caused by intentional destruction. Instead, the damage stemmed from a flawed installation by the contractor
and a rush to complete the project
in time for the nation’s 250th independence celebrations. The government acknowledged that the coating, which had been applied as part of a $14.7 million no-bid contract awarded to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings, began peeling almost immediately due to overspraying and a failure of the materials to bond properly.
Following the dismissal, Hearn expressed relief but remained critical of the legal process. But I’m still pretty concerned about innocent people being accused by the government of things they didn’t do,
Hearn told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. It’s a really unsettling feeling for me.
President Trump’s Public Rebuke of Jeanine Pirro
President Trump responded to the dismissal with sharp criticism of Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and a longtime political ally. In a post on Truth Social, the President stated, I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don’t know what she was thinking?
The President’s criticism intensified during an Oval Office event on Monday, where he characterized the dismissal as a failure of leadership. The judge was extremely unfriendly to Jeanine and frankly, I think she choked,
Trump told reporters. 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.
He further described Pirro’s decision-making by saying she folded like an umbrella.
The public nature of the disagreement marks a departure from the history between the two. Pirro, a former judge and Fox News host, has been a vocal defender of the President since joining the network in 2006. Despite the public fallout, Trump ducked questions about whether he’d fire Pirro during his Monday remarks.
Contradictory Claims on Reflecting Pool Damage
The conflict centers on the cause of the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a site that underwent a $14 million-plus renovation project personally overseen by the President. While the Justice Department formally attributed the damage to construction failure, the President continues to insist that vandalism played a primary role.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has aligned himself with the President’s position. In a post on X, Burgum maintained that vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool
and claimed that his office provided the U.S. Attorney’s office with expert and eyewitness testimony
regarding these acts. The President also alleged that surveillance footage shows individuals cutting the pool’s material with knives, though he has expressed frustration that the legal case was not sustained.
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