Felony Charges Dropped in Reflecting Pool Damage Case
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro cites botched installation, not vandalism, for Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool damage after $16 million renovation.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Callum Smith
Felony charges against former Olympian David Hearn for damaging the Reflecting Pool have been dropped.
The decision follows a $16 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a project President Trump personally oversaw.
Portions of the pool's liner detached in June.
Government lawyers indicated a rushed and flawed installation process, citing repeated failures of the lining and extensive peeling.
A court filing dismissing Hearn's charges cited new evidence, including additional documents from the Interior Department, indicating the damage stemmed from a botched installation rather than vandalism.
Jeanine Pirro, appointed US Attorney for Washington, DC by President Trump in May 2025, claimed the damage resulted from a botched installation, not vandalism.
Pirro also claimed misleading information from the Department of Interior drove the decision to prosecute Hearn.
The recently applied blue sealant at the bottom of the pool began to peel almost immediately after the renovation work concluded.
The Trump administration bypassed a competitive bid process, awarding Atlantic Industrial Coatings LLC a no-bid contract for the pool's refurbishment.
The Department of Interior provided less than fulsome information at the outset of the case.
Elsewhere, Todd Blanche, a former criminal defense attorney for Donald Trump, had his nomination for attorney general blocked by Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis.
Blanche subsequently released two letters disavowing attempts to revive a proposed fund to pay individuals claiming to be targets of politicized government prosecution, which satisfied Cornyn and Tillis.
Senator Thom Tillis indicated that The proposed fund could compensate individuals prosecuted over the 2021 US Capitol riot by Trump's supporters.
Senator Thom Tillis claimed the proposed fund could compensate individuals prosecuted over the 2021 US Capitol riot by Trump's supporters.
President Trump's approval rating stands at 33%; recent polls indicate American disapproval of the war with Iran and concern that Trump is not achieving his war goals.
Despite these figures, Donald Trump claimed his "REAL Polling Numbers, not those made up by the Fake News Media, are the best they have ever been."
Separately, Jeanine Pirro may face dismissal from her position, with President Trump reportedly considering her removal from the post.