President Trump sharply criticized US Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Monday after her office moved to drop charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who had been accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said Pirro faced a hostile judge and failed to hold the line. “The judge was extremely unfriendly to Jeanine and frankly, I think she choked,” he said. “The judge was really vicious. Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department, and I guess she choked.”
Trump did not hide his frustration. “I was disappointed in Jeanine Pirro. Really disappointed in Jeanine Pirro,” he added. “She folded like an umbrella.”
Pirro’s office filed the motion to dismiss on Friday, telling the court that the Department of the Interior, headed by Secretary Doug Burgum, had “provided less than fulsome information at the outset of this case.”
But Trump, who had pressed for repairs to the Reflecting Pool and even visited the site personally to oversee the work, directed most of his anger at Pirro rather than the Interior Department.
“Pirro made a mistake. There was vandalism,” Trump said. “People get away with things, and it’s a disgrace.”
The case centered on alleged damage to the pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Prosecutors had charged Hearn with “forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner” with both hands on June 19. Hearn pleaded not guilty and maintained that he left the Reflecting Pool in the same condition in which he found it.
According to a July 31 court filing, Hearn did pull at sealant on the bottom of the Reflecting Pool before authorities told him to stop. The filing, however, shifted blame toward the project contractor, noting that the pool’s lining had begun peeling “[a]lmost immediately” after the renovation work was finished by a Virginia-based company that received a no-bid contract.
That was due to “overspraying and a failure of the coatings to bond” as part of a rushed job to finish before Independence Day festivities.
Trump said the contractor did work too fast but also maintained that vandalism took place.
“I was 100% thrilled with the contractor, but the contractor was rushing. We wanted to get it open for July 4th, and we got it done. But in addition, there was vandalism,” he said.
Trump blasted Pirro on Truth Social on Saturday, shortly after her office announced the dismissal of the charges. His unhappiness was still evident on Monday.
CNN reported the president is considering removing Pirro as the US attorney for the District of Columbia. Pirro’s office did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.
Trump didn’t answer when asked if he was reconsidering Pirro’s role. Instead he berated the reporter from MS NOW who asked him the question.
