Topline
President Donald Trump said Saturday he disagreed with U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop a vandalism case regarding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, doubling down on claims that vandals damaged the landmark’s renovations.
Trump said Saturday he disagreed with Pirro’s decision.
Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump said in a Truth Social post, “I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro,” after her office said Friday that the evidence given to it after charges were filed against former Olympian David Hearn “significantly undermine the evidentiary basis for the indictment.”
The president admitted the Reflecting Pool’s renovation experienced “some contractor difficulty,” but claimed the majority of the damage was caused by vandals, without providing evidence.
Hearn was charged with felony destruction of property in July and pleaded not guilty, arguing he had briefly touched a loose piece of sealant in the pool.
Pirro said in a press conference last month National Park Service employees witnessed Hearn “forcefully and violently” pull at the sealant.
Crucial Quote
Pirro’s office gathered information on the pool’s renovation and found the documents “indicated a rushed and flawed installation process, with repeated failures of the lining during the installation process, and extensive peeling of the lining throughout the Reflecting Pool.”
Key Background
Renovations for the Reflecting Pool began in May, with Trump seeking to have the pool’s floor painted “American Flag blue” and its water kept clear. Maintenance crews have since repeatedly battled with algae blooms that have turned the pool’s water green, with the landmark being drained at least three times by July 10. As crews applied hydrogen peroxide to fight the algae blooms, the pool’s liner began to peel and bubble. Loose parts of the sealant could be seen floating in the murky water. Hearn was charged shortly before July 4 as Trump began to blame the pool’s problems on vandals. Trump, who initially said in May the pool could not be cut with a knife, began claiming without evidence that vandals sliced a 300-to-350-foot gash into the pool’s lining. The president sought extensive jail time for the alleged vandals. Seven people were charged for vandalism, though with Hearn’s case thrown out Friday, the likelihood of convictions in the remaining cases appears low.
Further Reading
Blue Paint Seen Peeling Off From Bottom Of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool (Photos) (Forbes)
Trump Says Alleged Reflecting Pool Vandals Should Be Jailed ‘For A Long Time’(Forbes)