Former President Donald Trump is urging U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to re-examine the recently dismissed charges concerning alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump shared images on social media platform Truth Social that he claims depict vandalism at the pool, including what he described as "pure VANDALISM" and "knife" cuts.
Trump asserted that witnesses observed vandalism and that the material showed signs of being cut. He specifically targeted the decision to drop the felony vandalism case against former Olympian David Hearn, suggesting Pirro's decision was "hastily made." Trump also pointed to Hearn's alleged ties to ActBlue, a political fundraising platform, and his legal representation, characterizing the lawyer as a "Political Hack Lawyer."
Earlier in the week, Trump had publicly criticized Pirro, stating she "choked" under pressure and "folded like an umbrella" in handling the case. Following the dismissal of charges, Trump expressed his strong disagreement with Pirro's decision in a social media post, questioning her reasoning.
David Hearn was initially indicted on July 2 on one count of felony destruction of property. U.S. Park Police alleged that on June 19, Hearn pulled at a loose section of the pool's coating despite being told to stop by a National Park Service employee, with officials initially estimating the damage at over $1,000.
However, Pirro's office stated that the Department of the Interior provided insufficient reports and failed to disclose records indicating pre-existing issues with the pool's coating installation. Prosecutors indicated that had the DOI been more forthcoming, they would not have pursued the indictment. The department later provided documents suggesting that the damage was a result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, and the haste to complete the project before America 250 celebrations.
Given this new evidence, the Department of Justice determined it would be difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hearn was responsible for the damage. Prosecutors subsequently requested the court to dismiss the indictment without prejudice, allowing for the possibility of refiling charges. Hearn's attorneys stated that the case against him should never have been brought and that the government's actions constituted an abuse of power, demanding an apology for their client.
