Trump Blasts U.S. Attorney Pirro Over Decision to Drop Lincoln Memorial Vandalism Charges

President Donald Trump launched a sharp rebuke Monday at U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, contending she capitulated under pressure when she moved to dismiss charges against David Hearn, a former Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Speaking during an unscheduled Oval Office appearance, Trump declined to address whether Pirro’s position would cost her the job, but he intensified his assault on her handling of the case.

Trump asserted that Pirro’s decision to abandon the prosecution stemmed from her inability to withstand judicial scrutiny rather than the merits of the case. He disagreed fundamentally with her conclusion that construction defects, rather than vandalism, caused deterioration to the pool’s coating. “She folded like an umbrella,” Trump said, describing what he characterized as capitulation to an antagonistic judge who had targeted both Pirro and her department.

Pirro, whom Trump had appointed as the top federal prosecutor in Washington and who previously worked as a Fox News personality, has remained silent since the president’s initial weekend social media condemnation. The dismissal represented a significant embarrassment for the Justice Department and constituted an unusual instance of a Trump appointee acting contrary to the president’s stated preferences during his second term.

Hearn claimed he was cycling on June 19 when he examined the pool’s peeling surface and momentarily held a piece of detached coating before releasing it at a park worker’s direction. The former athlete’s account contradicts the government’s earlier characterization of his actions as deliberate destruction of federal property.

Trump separately attempted to distance himself from the Reflecting Pool project, which he had previously championed as part of a broader Washington modernization initiative. He disclosed that Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a Virginia-based firm that had performed work at his Northern Virginia golf course, received a $14.7 million contract without competitive bidding to refinish and waterproof the pool.

While Trump claimed unfamiliarity with the contractor Monday, he had stated in April that he personally vetted the company and championed its selection. He now suggested dissatisfaction with the finished work, attributing delays to the contractor’s rush to complete repairs before July 4 celebrations. Trump announced the pool would reopen within one to two weeks but offered no specifics regarding the timeline or costs for ongoing repairs.