President Donald Trump has rejected the Justice Department’s conclusion that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was damaged as a result of a botched renovation, rather than vandalism. In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said DOJ Drops Case, Citing Flawed RenovationTrump’s comments came a day after the Justice Department acknowledged in a court filing that the president’s $14 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool was “hasty and botched” and said it was dropping the criminal case against David Hearn, a former Olympian who had faced accusations of vandalising the landmark. The filing marked a reversal for Pirro’s office and a sharp shift from the administration’s earlier stance, which blamed vandals for the deterioration of the pool lining, the appearance of algae and water turning green after the renovation was completed. As part of the administration’s effort to link the pool’s condition to alleged vandalism, three other people were also charged. Each pleaded not guilty to lesser, misdemeanor counts, according to DC court records, and prosecutors later dropped charges against at least two of them, a lawyer for one defendant said. Timeline Contradicts Trump’s ClaimsIn May, Trump ordered the renovation, including painting the pool’s bottom an intense blue, and set a target of completing the work by the Fourth of July. The renovation drew criticism from multiple quarters, with opponents pointing to the scale and the aesthetic changes requested by Trump across Washington this summer. While Trump repeatedly blamed vandals without providing evidence, his statements were challenged by the chronology set out in Pirro’s prosecutors’ court filing. The filing indicated that large sections of the blue lining were already peeling before Hearn visited the site. Prosecutors said that on June 11, a National Park Service engineer informed Interior Department colleagues about peeling around the pool’s perimeter, citing an email obtained recently by Pirro’s office. The same section of the liner was later referenced in the allegations against Hearn. Hearn was arrested on June 19 and indicted on July 2. Weeks after the indictment, federal prosecutors said they received information from Interior documenting serious concerns about the contractor’s work, including claims that the installation process was flawed and the government was not fully informed early on. Related article: https://aseannow.com/worldnews/reflecting-pool-case-dropped-as-doj-blames-contractor-r1616/ Pirro’s office wrote that Interior gave “less than fulsome information” at the outset, arguing that fuller disclosure would have prevented the case from proceeding to a grand jury indictment. Prosecutors also said they received “barebones” police reports from the US Park Police and that they could not fully assess the full extent of the damage until July 17, when the pool was drained again. Burgum Rejects Revision, Hearn’s Lawyers Seek ApologyInterior Secretary Doug Burgum disputed the Justice Department’s conclusion in a post on Saturday afternoon, saying the evidence showed that vandals had repeatedly damaged the Reflecting Pool. He said Interior had provided the US attorney’s office expert and eyewitness testimony, along with evidence detailing damage areas within timelines it requested. In court submissions Friday, Pirro’s office had described what it called failures during the renovation process and also pointed to other federal agencies, including the Interior Department. Pirro’s prosecutors said the work was rushed to accommodate events on the National Mall for the nation’s 250th birthday. Hearn’s defence has argued that the case should never have been brought and that its dismissal does not address what they called misuse of government power in charging him. In a statement on Friday, his attorneys said the administration’s approach was “ready, fire, aim” and said the government should apologise. They also said the Interior Department provided additional documents only after the return of the indictment, including allegations that damage in June 2026 resulted from flawed installation by Atlantic Industrial Coatings and the rush to complete the project ahead of America 250 events around Independence Day 2026. Join the discussion? 2 August 2026
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