U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office moved to drop criminal charges against former Olympian David Hearn, who had been accused of deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. This reversal came after government lawyers admitted the widespread damage was the result of a botched installation by a contractor, not vandalism. The pool had undergone a renovation ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration last month, a project for which Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings secured a $14.7 million no-bid contract.
President Donald Trump, however, sharply criticized Pirro’s assessment. He acknowledged “some contractor difficulty” but insisted “the major damage was caused by VANDALS!” Trump posted on social media, stating, “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool.” He continued to allege vandalism without providing clear new evidence.
Profits Over Public Good
The dismissal represents an embarrassing setback for a Justice Department that had previously echoed Trump’s claims. It had billed the prosecution as accountability for damage at a Washington landmark, a pet project of Trump. Pirro’s decision to drop the case was described as a rare moment of an aide openly defying the President during his second term.
Government lawyers, in their 20-page court filing on Friday, detailed how additional documents from the Interior Department showed the damage stemmed from the contractor’s errors. They also cited “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026.” A recent visual inspection revealed damage throughout the pool, including in the middle, an area unlikely to be targeted by a vandal.
Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, had been accused of pulling up a two-foot square piece of the pool’s lining. Pirro, a Trump appointee, stated in her filing, “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.” She also blamed the Interior Department for providing “less than fulsome information at the outset of the case,” claiming the government wouldn't have sought an indictment if the department had been forthcoming.
The State's Shifting Narrative
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appeared to push back against Pirro’s criticism. He claimed some acts of vandalism were captured on video. Burgum added, “We also provided the U.S. Attorney’s office expert and eyewitness testimony to the damage done by vandals and provided every piece of evidence they asked for in the requested time line detailing each area of damage at the pool.”
Hearn’s legal team on Saturday criticized both Trump and Pirro. They announced they were weighing “legal remedies” for their client. “Trump is mad at Pirro because she finally admitted what we made clear in our legal filings all along: Trump’s botched renovation was responsible for the damage — not Davey Hearn,” the legal team stated. They dismissed Pirro’s claim of being duped by Interior as “nonsense,” asserting their motions had repeatedly proven the administration’s culpability for the Reflecting Pool failures.
Trump on Saturday posted a nearly four-minute video, purportedly from a security camera, showing three individuals with their hands in the pool. He claimed the video shows “material is being cut with a knife or a box cutter, for all to see!” However, the video, shot from a distance, did not clearly show any vandalism. Workers standing nearby in the footage did not appear to notice the people in the water.
The Cost of Capital's Priorities
Trump announced plans to beautify the Reflecting Pool in May. Atlantic Industrial Coatings, the recipient of the $14.7 million no-bid contract, did not respond to requests for comment. Water was drained, and Trump directed the bottom be painted “American flag blue.” Problems emerged within days of the project’s completion, with chunks of the new liner peeling off. The National Park Service reported a June 9 incident, claiming a sharp knife or razor cut the new liner.
The Reflecting Pool work is one of several projects Trump has spearheaded across the nation’s capital. He demolished the White House’s East Wing to build a $400 million ballroom and plans a towering arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. These projects underscore a pattern of capital expenditure on symbolic displays, often at the expense of public resources and accountability.