Inset left: Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn listens to attorney Norman Eisen after pleading not guilty to allegations that he damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.). Inset right: U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., Friday, February 6, 2026. (Photo by Annabelle Gordon/Sipa USA). Background: The Lincoln Memorial and its drained Reflecting Pool, viewed from the Washington Monument on July 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Emily Alff/Sipa USA).
After the Trump administration’s case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn collapsed, Hearn is seeking an investigation by federal inspectors general into the conduct of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Prosecutors had accused him of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, but the case was ultimately dismissed.
The Justice Department withdrew from the prosecution while asking to preserve the possibility of bringing charges again in the future. In the order dismissing the case with prejudice, the judge wrote that “no crime had occurred” and said the government acknowledged within a month of filing the charges that its case “lacked merit.”
In an open letter, Hearn’s lawyers are asking the inspectors general for both the DOJ and the Department of the Interior to examine how the prosecution unfolded. They also want investigators to determine what role Pirro played in what they describe as a “nightmare” caused by “incompetence and wrongdoing” within the two agencies.
“From June 19 to the present, misconduct has been committed by personnel in both agencies,” the letter states. “Because of the actions of various DOJ and DOI employees, Mr. Hearn was deprived of his liberty, indicted for a crime he did not commit, threatened with incarceration of up to 10 years, and endured the defaming of his name and reputation by high-ranking government officials.”
The filing identifies Pirro as one of those senior officials.
Hearn’s attorneys allege that Pirro, a former Fox News host, moved with “unusual haste” to bring the case. They say the prosecution was driven by political pressure from the beginning and rested on an incomplete investigation.
According to the letter, Pirro and members of her staff concealed or overlooked those shortcomings in an effort to satisfy President Donald Trump.
“At a minimum, by their own admission, the prosecutors knew that the record was incomplete and apparently knew that [the Interior Department] possessed exculpatory material, yet proceeded to the grand jury anyway,” the letter says. “However, the record reflects that the USAO-DC in fact was in possession of the necessary exculpatory evidence and simply ignored it.”
The attorneys also accuse Pirro of misconduct involving an expert witness retained by Hearn’s defense to examine the Reflecting Pool.
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“Accompanied by a group of armed government agents who positioned themselves around defense counsel’s expert, the U.S. Attorney personally approached the expert while he was conducting his inspection and questioned him about his conclusions, the results of his work, and why he was present,” the letter alleges.
Hearn’s lawyers provided additional details about the alleged encounter:
The defense expert reportedly told the U.S. Attorney that he could not discuss the matter with her, while members of Pirro’s own staff allegedly advised her not to continue questioning him. Despite those warnings, the letter says, Pirro repeatedly pressed the expert for information. Defense counsel received no advance notice and was not present, and the government has produced no report, notes or other record documenting the exchange.
The attorneys characterize the episode as evidence of misconduct “committed at the highest levels” of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“A U.S. Attorney who personally interrogates a represented defendant’s testifying expert, surrounded by her own staff and without notice to counsel, is not gathering evidence—she is testing how the defense intends to prove its case, and doing so in a setting that essentially held the expert captive,” the letter states.
Hearn’s lawyers are asking the inspectors general to identify everyone present, determine what Pirro said and establish whether the U.S. Attorney’s Office considered the encounter appropriate before or after it occurred.
The letter also objects to Pirro’s public comments about Hearn, including her descriptions of the alleged conduct as “anarchy” and “criminal behavior.”
Beyond Pirro’s conduct, the attorneys are seeking a wide-ranging review of the Reflecting Pool renovation project, along with the government’s investigation, arrest and prosecution of Hearn.
“The DOJ OIG and the DOI OIG must conduct detailed and comprehensive investigations to determine what happened inside their agencies that led to the shocking and indefensible treatment of Mr. Hearn,” the letter says. “DOJ OIG and DOI OIG each have distinct but complementary responsibilities to determine what occurred within their respective departments; whether applicable laws, policies, and professional ethics were followed; and the specific instances of incompetence and misconduct engaged in by government personnel.”
The post Ex-Olympian falsely accused in ‘meritless’ Reflecting Pool vandalism prosecution wants inspectors general to investigate Jeanine Pirro for ‘misconduct’ first appeared on Law & Crime.
