Trump administration drops Reflecting Pool case, blaming damage on ‘botched’ installation
Prosecutors said newly disclosed evidence shows the pool was damaged by a botched installation, not vandalism, and the case lacked a reasonable basis.
- Federal prosecutors moved to dismiss vandalism charges against former U.S. Olympian David Hearn, officially dropping the high-profile criminal case surrounding damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
- The Department of Justice acknowledged that the pool liner's damage resulted from a "botched installation" rather than deliberate acts of criminal destruction or vandalism.
- The decision directly contradicts prior claims by President Trump, who had repeatedly insisted that "thugs" and "vandals" used blades to intentionally slice and peel up the pool's new floor.
- The dismissal follows a key court filing revealing that a National Park Service witness testified the liner was already torn, leaking, and damaged prior to Hearn's alleged involvement.
- The legal collapse marks the latest setback for the $14.7 million renovation project, which has faced widespread criticism over peeling materials, severe algae blooms, and multiple pool drainings.
408 Articles
408 Articles
Criminal charges dropped against ex-Olympian in bogus Reflecting Pool vandalism case
They said it couldn’t be done… and it couldn’t. No reputable pool contractor would agree to Donald Trump’s demand that a new lining and nano-bubbler technology be (properly) installed at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool by July 4. So Trump instead handed out a no-bid contract to his pool guy, and ever since work was “completed” the landmark has been a cesspool of algae, peeling liner, and dead ducks. Of course Trump can’t admit to fault or f…
Think Jeanine Pirro Acted Honorably in the Hearn Case? Think Again.
It’s hard to imagine a more consummate and humiliating debacle than the retreat the Department of Justice was forced to execute last Friday in the Reflecting Pool case. Having staked a large portion of its remaining credibility on the charges against David Hearn, the 67-year-old former Olympic canoeist it had accused of vandalizing the pool back in June, DOJ was reduced on Friday evening to confessing, in a 20-page filing, that its whole theory …
Pirro Chose Justice Over Trump
Finally, something worth discussing when it comes to the reflecting pool in Washington, D.C.: our system can still work, even when it is pressured by the commander in chief. A win for democracy. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington has asked a judge to dismiss its felony case against David Hearn, a three-time Olympian accused The post Pirro Chose Justice Over Trump appeared first on WV MetroNews.
Trump Administration Withheld Evidence in Bogus Reflecting Pool Vandalism Case
Add to the pile of the Trump Administration’s impeachable offenses the withholding of evidence in the criminal prosecution of an innocent man. On Friday, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to dismiss its Trumped-up charges against Olympic canoeist David Hearn for “vandalizing” the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the T.V. star that T.V. star Trump appointed to prosecute his revenge cases in the nation’s …
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