White House officials are asking DOJ to explore a misdemeanor in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool case after felony charges against David Hearn were dropped.
White House officials have asked the Justice Department to examine whether a new Reflecting Pool case could be brought against Olympic canoeist David Hearn, even after federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the felony charge tied to damage at the Lincoln Memorial site. The request comes weeks after the original case began to fall apart, setting up another turn in a dispute that has already drawn sharp public statements from President Donald Trump and Hearn’s lawyers.
Hearn was accused of damaging the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a project that cost $14 million. Prosecutors said cracks, algae growth and peeling sealant were discovered, but U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office moved to dismiss the felony case on July 31 after the Department of the Interior concluded the damage was linked to problems in the installation process rather than vandalism. White House officials have since reached out to DOJ to see whether Hearn could instead face a misdemeanor charge, according to the reporting first noted by The Wall Street Journal. No final decision has been made.
The defense quickly pushed back. Hearn’s attorneys said a new case would damage the Justice Department’s credibility after prosecutors had already acknowledged they lacked enough evidence to support the original felony charge. In a joint statement, Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Fund, Mary Dohrmann of Washington Litigation Group, and Steve Levin of Steptoe LLP said reviving the matter would amount to a troubling return of a case that had already failed.
The dispute centers on what happened on June 19, when U.S. Park Police identified Hearn as a suspect after he was reportedly seen grabbing and tugging on a loose section of coating on the pool. Police said he kept going even after National Park Service employees told him to stop. The damage was estimated at about $1,000, and Hearn was indicted on July 2 on one count of felony destruction of property.
“White House officials are asking DOJ to explore a misdemeanor in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool case after felony charges against David Hearn were dropped.”
After prosecutors sought to drop the felony count, they did so without prejudice, leaving open the possibility that the matter could be brought again. That legal detail has become important as the administration continues to insist the pool was vandalized. Trump has said slashes were found in the material and claimed they appeared to have been made with a knife. He also said people were seen kneeling at those spots with their hands in the water.
Trump has also criticized Pirro’s handling of the case and said he disagreed with her decision to abandon the felony charge. He argued that Hearn had political ties, calling him a major player in the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, and he attacked the lawyers representing Hearn as well. Later, Trump said Pirro had “choked” under pressure from a judge and “folded like an umbrella.”
The back-and-forth has turned a local property dispute into a bigger test of how federal prosecutors handle politically charged cases. The White House’s push for a possible misdemeanor filing shows the administration is not done with the matter, even as the earlier felony case has already been dropped. For American readers, the key question is whether federal authorities will pursue another charge or let the Reflecting Pool case end where prosecutors first said it should.
Frequently asked questions
Who is at the center of the Reflecting Pool case?
Olympic canoeist David Hearn was indicted in the case and later faced a dropped felony charge. White House officials are now asking whether a misdemeanor prosecution could be pursued.
Why did prosecutors move to dismiss the felony charge?
Pirro’s office said the Department of the Interior found the damage was linked to installation flaws rather than vandalism. The case was dismissed on July 31.
What damage was alleged at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool?
Officials said cracks, algae growth and peeling sealant were found in the renovated pool. The project cost $14 million, and the damage was estimated at about $1,000.
What happens next in the case?
No final decision has been made. White House officials have asked DOJ to determine whether a misdemeanor charge is possible.
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