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President Donald Trump publicly broke with his top local prosecutor Saturday, insisting damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was “a pure case of VANDALISM” despite federal officials citing contractor failures as they moved to dismiss a felony case against a former U.S. Olympian.
“I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I don’t know what she was thinking?”
Trump’s remarks came one day after Pirro’s office asked a federal judge to dismiss a felony destruction of property charge against former U.S. Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of damaging the landmark after allegedly pulling up a loose section of its protective lining on June 19 despite being told by a National Park Service employee to stop.
“To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM, that included the grass, which had a big 86 47 emblazoned in giant letters on it, and other elements of the surrounding area,” Trump continued, referencing a separate vandalism incident that had occurred about a week earlier.
U.S. Park Police previously discovered the numbers “86 47” etched into the grass near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The phrase has become a politically charged slogan directed at Trump. Supporters of the president, including Trump himself, have argued it amounts to a call for his assassination.
The Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool are seen from the Washington Monument on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Washington. Rahmat Gul/AP (Rahmat Gul/AP)
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Pirro’s office dropped the charges against Hearn on Friday after concluding that reports disclosed by the Department of the Interior revealed that there were many flaws with the renovation project, including that the lining appeared to begin peeling days after installation.
“Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,” the motion concluded.
Trump acknowledged there potential issues with the project but rejected the Justice Department’s conclusion that construction problems were primarily responsible for the damage.
“There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!” Trump wrote.
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Hearn was indicted on July 2 on one count of felony destruction of property after U.S. Park Police alleged he pulled at the pool’s protective coating, with authorities initially estimating the damage exceeded $1,000.
According to Pirro’s office, the Department of the Interior initially provided only “barebones” reports and did not disclose documents showing the Reflecting Pool’s newly installed coating had begun failing almost immediately after construction.
“Had DOI been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment,” prosecutors wrote in Friday’s filing.
“It was not until after the return of the indictment, that the DOI provided additional documents to the USAO-DC indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings (‘AIC’), and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026,” the filing continued.
The case against Hearn was dismissed without prejudice, meaning charges could be brought again in the future.
David Hearn of the United States competes in the men’s C1 whitewater canoeing final of the 2000 Summer Olympics at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium. Penrith, Australia, on Sept. 18, 2000. (David Madison/Getty Images)
Court filings show Atlantic Industrial Coatings received a no-bid contract worth more than $14 million to install a new protective lining across the Reflecting Pool’s 68,000-square-foot floor.
The project began in early May but was slowed by rain and complications with the pool’s expansion joints, adding pressure to complete the work before the July Fourth festivities celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
According to prosecutors, problems surfaced almost immediately.
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Just two days after the project was completed on June 9, a National Park Service engineer reported that sections of the new lining were already peeling.
“I stated my concern that this ‘overspray’ along the perimeter of the pool could lead to a 1′-2′ strip that is vulnerable to peeling,” the engineer wrote in a June 11 email obtained by the New York Post. “The contractor would not confirm in field if this was or wasn’t a risk.”
Following the dismissal request, Hearn’s legal team accused the government of rushing to prosecute the case.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announces charges related to an international car theft ring during a press conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
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“The Trump administration’s case against Davey Hearn should never have been brought. Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong. The government’s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr. Hearn an apology,” attorneys Norm Eisen, Mary Dohrmann and Steve Levin said in a statement to the New York Post.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Pirro’s office for comment.