Trump Urges Jeanine Pirro to Revisit Dropped Reflecting Pool Case/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Trump is urging U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to reconsider dropping charges against former Olympian David Hearn. Prosecutors concluded that faulty installation made it difficult to prove vandals damaged the Reflecting Pool’s lining. A federal judge dismissed the case but did not decide whether prosecutors could revive it later.
Quick Look
- Trump called on Pirro to “re-visit” the Reflecting Pool case.
- David Hearn had been accused of damaging the landmark’s lining.
- Prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges because of evidence of defective work.
- Pieces of the blue lining floated loose soon after the pool reopened.
- A federal judge left unresolved whether the case could be revived.
- Trump continues to insist that witnesses saw vandalism.
- He previously said Pirro had “choked” under pressure.
- Trump has declined to clarify whether Pirro’s position is secure.
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also maintains that vandals cut the lining.
In an aerial view from the Washington Monument, crews remove algae from the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after recent renovations following a directive from President Donald Trump to paint it blue ahead of the 250th anniversary of US independence, in Washington, DC, on June 19, 2026.
Deep Look
Trump wants Pirro to reconsider dropped case
President Donald Trump is calling on Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, to reconsider her office’s decision to drop criminal charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Trump used a Truth Social post Friday to pressure Pirro, a longtime political ally and former Fox News host, to “re-visit her hastily made decision.”
The case involved David Hearn, one of several people accused of damaging the blue lining of the prominent Washington landmark.
The Reflecting Pool had recently undergone work ordered by the Trump administration and reopened before the capital’s July 4 celebrations.
Faulty installation undermined vandalism claim
Federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the case after evidence emerged that poor workmanship may have caused the damage.
Sections of the blue lining began separating and floating in the water shortly after the pool reopened.
The evidence made it difficult for prosecutors to establish that Hearn or other alleged vandals were responsible, rather than defects in the installation process.
The Justice Department’s decision directly contradicted Trump’s repeated public insistence that the lining had been intentionally cut.
Judge leaves possibility of renewed prosecution unresolved
The federal judge overseeing the case dismissed it Thursday but did not resolve whether prosecutors could bring the charges again.
That decision left open a potential path for Pirro’s office to revisit the matter, although the government would still face the evidentiary problems that led prosecutors to seek dismissal.
Trump cited that opening while continuing to assert that the damage was deliberate.
“People were on their knees with their hands in the water at the exact location of the ‘slashes,’” Trump wrote. “Additionally, there were witnesses to the VANDALISM, and the flexible areas of the material were cut with a knife.”
The president did not identify those witnesses or provide additional evidence supporting his claim.
Trump publicly criticizes longtime ally
Trump has intensified his criticism of Pirro since her office acknowledged that the case could not be supported by the available evidence.
He told reporters that Pirro had “choked” under pressure and declined to provide an assurance about her future as Washington’s chief federal prosecutor.
Asked whether he planned to remove her, Trump said he had not “made a determination.”
The criticism places Pirro in the unusual position of being publicly attacked by a president she has defended for years.
Her office’s decision also highlights the tension between Trump’s demand for prosecution and the Justice Department’s obligation to pursue cases supported by evidence.
Burgum maintains that vandals caused damage
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has sided with Trump’s account.
The Interior Department oversees the Reflecting Pool, and Burgum has continued to insist that vandals cut the newly installed lining.
The administration’s claims remain at odds with prosecutors’ conclusion that defective work prevented them from proving criminal vandalism.
Pirro must now decide whether to follow Trump’s public demand to reopen the matter or maintain her office’s decision that the evidence does not support continuing the case.
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