President Trump on Sunday night renewed his accusation that former Olympian David Hearn damaged the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool earlier this summer, days after he publicly criticized DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro for dropping the prosecution.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said “a National Park Service career employee” and “highly credible witness” saw Hearn, whom he identified as “(ActBlue),” vandalizing the Reflecting Pool in broad daylight by “violently” pulling and tearing at what he described as the pool’s delicate coating. Trump also attached a screenshot of a court filing and said the witness account had been given to the US Attorney’s Office in early July.
The president wrote that there was “substantial other damage” to the Reflecting Pool as well, but acknowledged that “unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself.” He said repair work is underway and that the pool is expected to reopen soon.
Trump also conceded that “some contractor error” occurred because the project was rushed ahead of a July 4 opening, though he characterized the problem as limited to “a very small area” of the massive pool and “relatively inconsequential.” He added that security cameras have been installed and that more are being put in place.
Hearn, 67, had been charged with one felony count of destruction of property, but Pirro dismissed the case on July 31. She said the Interior Department had not provided information about what she described as the contractor’s “flawed installation.”
Trump, 80, blasted Pirro’s decision on Aug. 3 during remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, saying the judge had been “extremely unfriendly” to her. “Frankly, I think she choked,” Trump said, accusing the judge of targeting Pirro and her office rather than “the people that did it.” He added, “She folded like an umbrella.”
