Former President Donald Trump on Saturday sharply criticized the decision to dismiss charges against an Olympic canoeist accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, asserting that the damage was the result of vandalism.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to express his disagreement with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who filed a motion to drop the charges. Pirro cited new evidence that undermined the case against the Olympian, David Hearn.
"I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool. I don't know what she was thinking?" Trump wrote. "To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM, that included the grass, which had a big 86 47 emblazoned in giant letters on it, and other elements of the surrounding area."
Pirro's filing stated that investigations revealed the damage was a consequence of a "flawed installation by the contractor" and the "rush to complete the project" in anticipation of Trump's America 250 celebration. The filing concluded that attributing the widespread damage to vandalism, and proving it beyond a reasonable doubt, was difficult given this new information.
Hearn, 67, had been charged with felony vandalism, which carried a potential 10-year prison sentence. He had pleaded not guilty.
According to court documents, Hearn stated he approached the pool after a long bike ride and noticed a detached piece of the pool's liner. He admitted to touching the "loose flap of coating" out of curiosity. He was arrested by U.S. Park Police as he was preparing to leave.
Hearn's lawyers contended that the charges should never have been filed and called for an apology from the government, stating, "Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong."
Trump had personally overseen the renovation of the Reflecting Pool, a project estimated to cost at least $14 million, ahead of the nation's 250th independence anniversary. He had previously threatened jail time for those damaging his renovation projects. In June, the National Park Service reported that five people had been arrested for vandalism and five others had received federal citations related to the pool area.