{"id":8201,"date":"2026-08-01T00:35:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T00:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/01\/trump-administration-to-dismiss-reflecting-pool-charges-against-david-hearn\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T00:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T00:35:32","slug":"trump-administration-to-dismiss-reflecting-pool-charges-against-david-hearn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/01\/trump-administration-to-dismiss-reflecting-pool-charges-against-david-hearn\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump administration to dismiss Reflecting Pool charges against David Hearn"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>The administration of United States President Donald Trump has moved to drop the criminal charges against former Olympic athlete <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/9\/former-us-olympian-pleads-not-guilty-in-dc-reflecting-pool-vandalism-case\">David Hearn<\/a>, in a remarkable about-face.<\/p>\n<p>In motion filed on Friday afternoon, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro acknowledged that the accusations levelled against Hearn \u2014 blaming him for vandalising the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool \u2014 did not appear to be substantiated.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 3 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/2\/trump-administration-indicts-olympic-athlete-for-reflecting-pool-vandalism\">Trump administration indicts Olympic athlete for Reflecting Pool vandalism<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/9\/former-us-olympian-pleads-not-guilty-in-dc-reflecting-pool-vandalism-case\">Former US Olympian pleads not guilty in DC reflecting pool vandalism case<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 3<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/11\/whistleblower-claims-kennedy-center-rushed-renovations-to-please-trump\">Whistleblower claims Kennedy Center \u2018rushed\u2019 renovations to please Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cThe damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism, as initially represented by [the Department of the Interior],\u201d Pirro wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, the prosecutor <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/2\/trump-administration-indicts-olympic-athlete-for-reflecting-pool-vandalism\">had accused Hearn<\/a>, an Olympic canoeist, of \u201cforcefully and violently\u201d ripping the newly installed liner of the Reflecting Pool, part of a renovation project Trump had championed.<\/p>\n<p>She described his actions as \u201can affront to the dignity of our shared history\u201d and warned that Hearn could face up to 10 years in prison for the destruction of government property.<\/p>\n<p>But in Friday\u2019s court filings, a different narrative emerged.<\/p>\n<p>Pirro repeatedly emphasised she did not receive the new information until after the criminal indictment against Hearn had been returned. She blamed, in part, the \u201cbarebones police reports\u201d her office had received.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was not until after the return of the indictment, that the DOI provided additional documents to the [US Attorney\u2019s Office for Washington, DC] indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation <span>by the contractor,\u201d Pirro wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>She added that the pressure to finish the Reflecting Pool renovation project before the Independence Day holiday \u2014 marking the 250th anniversary of the US \u2014 contributed to the renovation\u2019s failure. Trump had planned several events for the occasion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed,\u201d Pirro explained, citing delayed installation work, inclement weather and repeated testing failures.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4820827\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4820827\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/reuters_6a6d3620-1785542176.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Members of the National Guard walk near fences at the drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, following renovations and Independence Day celebrations, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 30, 2026. REUTERS\/Nathan Howard\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4820827\">Members of the National Guard walk past the drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on July 30 [Nathan Howard\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"reshaping-washington-dc\">Reshaping Washington, DC<\/h2>\n<p>The Reflecting Pool project is one of several changes to the landscape of Washington, DC, that Trump has pursued during his second term in office.<\/p>\n<p>In seeking to leave his mark on the US capital, the Republican leader has torn down the East Wing of the White House, gilded statues with a fresh coat of gold leaf, and proposed to build a large triumphal arch on the road to the Arlington National Cemetery.<\/p>\n<p>Just this week, he unveiled a $22.5bn project to revamp the Dulles International Airport, the main air terminal for the capital region.<\/p>\n<p>Several of his public works projects have been challenged in court, including an attempt to affix his name to the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.<\/p>\n<p>The Reflecting Pool renovation was among Trump\u2019s most controversial.<\/p>\n<p>The 618-metre (2,028-foot) pool has served as the backdrop for many iconic moments in US history, including the 1963 March on Washington, when civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr delivered his \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech.<\/p>\n<p>It sits between the Washington Monument, a large obelisk, and the Lincoln Memorial, two popular tourists sites mere blocks from the White House. But the pool had long struggled with leaks along its granite edge and concrete bottom.<\/p>\n<p>In April, Trump abruptly announced he would address the problem by resurfacing the Reflecting Pool\u2019s bottom with swimming pool topping in a shade of \u201cAmerican Flag Blue\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The project, he added, would be finished \u201clong before July 4\u201d and at relatively little cost to the government.<\/p>\n<p>By early June, Trump had announced the project completed. But within days, a thick layer of green algae appeared on the surface of the pool, and the blue pool topper appeared cracked, with sheets of paint flapping in the water.<\/p>\n<p>The project also attracted criticism for how the government contract for the renovations was awarded.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration granted a $13.1bn contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a company he claimed to have worked with as a real estate developper, led by one of his donors. The deal was struck without taking competitive bids, as is standard, on the basis that the renovation was necessary immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Within two days of the site\u2019s final inspection, on June 11, a National Park Service engineer observed that the Reflecting Pool\u2019s new lining had begun to peel, according to Pirro.<\/p>\n<p>Citing the engineer\u2019s report, Pirro wrote that the damage to the pool appeared to have been caused by \u201cover spraying and delamination\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4753987\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4753987\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afp_6a4fbc5cbf63-1783610460.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 02: U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia on July 02, 2026 in Washington, DC. Pirro announced that former Olympic canoeist David Hearn has been indicted by a grand jury on charges related to alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images\/AFP (Photo by Anna Moneymaker \/ GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA \/ Getty Images via AFP)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4753987\">US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announces charges against Olympic athlete David Hearn on July 2 [Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images via AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"accusations-of-vandalism\">Accusations of vandalism<\/h2>\n<p>But Trump had aggressively pushed accusations that the algae and tears in the Reflecting Pool\u2019s new bottom had been the result of vandalism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe caught some people vandalising our beautiful Reflecting Pool,\u201d Trump said at a news conference in June. \u201cThey took a cutter, a box cutter, or something very sharp. Can you imagine? Where do these people come up with this? And they threw a little fertiliser in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Separately, he <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116784751146148991\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suggested<\/a> those responsible should face \u201cyears in jail\u201d for their alleged crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Hearn, a three-time Olympian representing the US, has said he was among the members of the public drawn to the hullabaloo surrounding the Reflecting Pool\u2019s controversial renovation.<\/p>\n<p>In media interviews, he admitted he bicycled past the pool, reached in and felt the peeling sealant, out of curiosity. He has adamantly denied, however, damaging any property.<\/p>\n<p>Hearn was ultimately among the seven people charged with harming the Reflecting Pool. His indictment was announced in a news conference held by Pirro on July 2.<\/p>\n<p>Friday\u2019s motion to dismiss arrived just four weeks later. In it, Pirro acknowledged the peeling was not caused by vandalism.<\/p>\n<p>She wrote that the revelation came around July 17, when her office inspected the Reflecting Pool site, which had once again been drained for repairs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was at that time that [US District Attorney\u2019s Office] first became aware of the significant damage throughout the pool and accordingly requested all documents from [the Department of the Interior] concerning the how the pool was lined,\u201d Pirro said.<\/p>\n<p>Her office received \u201c695 megabytes of additional documents\u201d in return, revealing \u201ca rushed and flawed installation process\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Since indicting Hearn, Pirro\u2019s office has faced questions about whether it was pursuing justice \u2014 or simply doing Trump\u2019s political bidding, as he seeks to save face after the botched renovation.<\/p>\n<p>The withdrawn indictment also comes as courts have repeatedly pressed the Department of Justice about prosecutions that appear to be hastily submitted and lacking in evidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u200aDid you ultimately decide to charge this so harshly at the president\u2019s direction?\u201d one reporter asked Pirro at the outset of Hearn\u2019s case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t charge anything harshly. I charge according to the evidence,\u201d she replied at the time.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, Hearn\u2019s legal team called the case an \u201cabuse of government power\u201d. It added that the Trump administration owes their client an apology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The administration of United States President Donald Trump has moved to drop the criminal charges against former Olympic athlete David Hearn, in a remarkable about-face. In motion filed on Friday afternoon, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro acknowledged that the accusations levelled against Hearn \u2014 blaming him for vandalising the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool \u2014 did not &#8230; <a title=\"Trump administration to dismiss Reflecting Pool charges against David Hearn\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/08\/01\/trump-administration-to-dismiss-reflecting-pool-charges-against-david-hearn\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Trump administration to dismiss Reflecting Pool charges against David Hearn\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8201\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}