President Trump unleashed a barrage of criticism at US Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Sunday after her office dropped its high-profile vandalism case against former Olympic swimmer David Hearn over damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
In a filing late Friday, Pirro’s office acknowledged that the pool suffered from “a flawed installation by the contractor” and “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration” surrounding Independence Day. The case, which Trump had personally championed, was abandoned entirely.
Trump took to social media to attack Pirro, who leads the DOJ’s DC office, writing that she “folded like an umbrella” in the case. The president said he “disagreed 100%” with Pirro’s decision to drop the prosecution, which he had described for weeks as targeting “nefarious scoundrels” who trashed sacred government property.
The Reflecting Pool had undergone a major renovation ahead of America 250 celebrations. Hearn, 67, had been indicted after the pool began leaking and suffering visible damage. Pirro personally announced the indictment on July 2 with characteristic flair, calling the damage a desecration of hallowed ground.
But court documents revealed that the damage was not vandalism at all. Engineers determined the problems stemmed from substandard construction materials and rushed installation. Hearn’s defense attorneys had argued from the beginning that the pool was poorly constructed.
The collapse of the case adds to what critics call Pirro’s embarrassing losing streak since taking the DC US Attorney position. Trump’s public attack on his own DOJ official is unusual and signals deep frustration within the administration over legal setbacks.
The incident underscores the political risks of Trump’s personal involvement in legal matters. By tying himself so closely to the prosecution, the president turned what might have been a routine dropped case into a major embarrassment. The White House has not commented further on the matter.
discussion