United States President Donald Trump has issued a forceful condemnation of the Department of Justice following its decision to drop criminal charges against a former Olympic athlete for the alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC. Trump voiced his strong disagreement with the decision, a day after US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced she was dismissing the charges against 67-year-old competitive canoeist David Hearn.
Trump stated his opposition to the decision on Saturday, a day after the DOJ formally dismissed the charges against Hearn. His comments follow a series of conflicting statements made by Pirro, who initially contradicted both her own previous assessments and claims following Hearn’s arrest in June 2026. Pirro asserted that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism, contradicting both her previous statements and claims made following Hearn’s arrest.
On Saturday, Trump posted a video to his Truth Social page, asserting that he disagreed ‘100 percent’ with Pirro, though he did not directly reference Hearn. Instead, he maintained that vandalism had been committed at the Reflecting Pool. He subsequently shared a photo of an individual, though not Hearn, sticking a hand into the pool, further reinforcing his assertion of the incident’s occurrence.
Furthermore, Trump attached a graphic depicting the numbers ‘86 47’ etched into the lawn of the nearby National Mall, interpreted as a call to ‘86’ – or ‘nix’ – the 47th president, by removing him from his office. This action, alongside the renewed scrutiny surrounding the pool’s renovation, has sparked accusations of political scapegoating.
The Reflecting Pool’s condition, which had been a subject of intense political debate since its restoration, has become a major focal point for Trump’s efforts to transform Washington, DC. Initially, Trump used the pool’s deterioration and previous renovation projects to criticize past presidents, but his own attempt to fix the pool immediately drew considerable scrutiny, particularly after he selected a company he had previously utilized in a private capacity.
Through a series of controversial renovation projects, Trump has sought to physically transform Washington, DC, including by resurfacing the pool. Initially, the pool’s condition and previous renovation projects had been utilized to criticize past presidents. However, his own attempt to fix the pool instantly attracted scrutiny, particularly after Trump hand-picked a company he had previously used in a private capacity. The company’s involvement, a rarity for the Department of Interior, had never before received a government contract, and the multimillion-dollar deal was awarded without a competitive bidding process, adhering to standard procedures.
Upon the completion of the renovation, problems soon emerged. The Reflecting Pool’s new lining quickly appeared to peel, and algae blooms sprouted in early June. Trump repeatedly blamed the situation on ‘vandals’. The announcement of at least seven arrests connected to the pool sparked accusations of political scapegoating.
Hearn, who represented the US three times at the Olympics, emerged as the most high-profile case. The athlete said he was bicycling past the Reflecting Pool when he stopped, reached in and felt the peeling sealant. He has denied committing any vandalism, with his lawyers calling his arrest an attempt to distract from the shoddy renovation work. Pirro, a former Fox News host and Trump loyalist, had initially accused Hearn of ‘forcefully and violently’ ripping the pool’s liner, decrying his actions as ‘an affront to the dignity of our shared history’. In their court filings, federal prosecutors alleged that the damage Hearn caused exceeded $1,000, justifying federal charges.
In their court filings, federal prosecutors claimed that all of the damage done to the Reflecting Pool had been caused by vandals.
Pirro further claimed that the damage was caused by pressure to finish the project by July 4, a date that coincides with US Independence Day and the country’s 250th anniversary. She wrote, ‘The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed,’ further emphasizing the questionable nature of the repairs.
The Department of the Interior’s documents, which were revealed on Friday, further substantiated Pirro’s claims, showing ‘that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism.’
The Department of the Interior’s documents, she continued, demonstrated ‘that the damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism.’
Pirro further blamed the damage on pressure to complete the project by July 4, a date that coincides with US Independence Day and the country’s 250th anniversary. She wrote, ‘The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed,’ further emphasizing the questionable nature of the repairs.
Source: Al Jazeera
