Trump Denounces DOJ Decision to Drop Reflecting Pool Charges

The Justice Department on Friday asked a court to dismiss a felony charge against David Hearn, 67, a former Olympic canoeist accused of deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. A 20-page filing from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro says new evidence points to contractor error, not vandalism.

• $14 million Trump-backed renovation of the pool was the project at issue.
• One felony count of property destruction carried a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
• Hearn was one of seven people charged in the administration's pool-damage investigation.
• Hearn says National Guard troops and Park Police held him for five hours on June 19.

Why it matters: The filing from Pirro's office states that the blue sealant began peeling almost immediately after installation and that the Interior Department provided incomplete information at the start of the case.

• Contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings is named as responsible for the flawed work.
• The filing cites pressure to finish the renovation before America 250 Independence Day events as a contributing cause.

How 48 sources split on this story

Where they split: The dispute is whether the prosecution was an honest mistake corrected by new evidence or an abuse of government power that should never have reached an indictment.

What’s next: A judge must approve the dismissal before the case is officially closed.

• Hearn's trial date of Sept. 28 remains on the calendar pending judicial action.
• Will the six other people charged in the Reflecting Pool investigation also see their cases dropped?
• Will contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings face any legal or financial liability for the botched installation?
• Will the Interior Department face any accountability for providing incomplete information before the indictment?