Justice Dept. admits Reflecting Pool renovation was ‘hasty and botched,’ drops case against former Olympian
By Katelyn Polantz, CNN
(CNN) — The Justice Department is admitting that President Donald Trump’s $14 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was “hasty and botched,” and it is dropping the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn that accused him of vandalizing the pool, according to a new court filing from DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
The admissions are an embarrassing reversal for Pirro and Trump, who have insisted publicly for weeks that vandals were solely responsible for the severely damaged pool lining, chronic algae blooms and green-hued water at the iconic landmark.
Three other people have been swept up in the administration’s push to blame the pool’s problems on alleged vandals — each facing lesser, misdemeanor charges. Federal prosecutors dropped the charges against at least one of those people as well Friday, according to DC court records.
Trump in May ordered the pricey renovations to the pool, including painting the bottom an intense blue, to be completed in time for the Fourth of July. The renovation — one of many aesthetic changes to monuments that Trump has directed across Washington, DC, this summer — drew significant criticism.
In an unusually descriptive filing of the shoddy work on the Reflecting Pool this summer, Pirro’s office pointed fingers directly at other federal agencies, including the Interior Department, for the bungled renovation and Hearn’s vandalism case.
“The damage was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism as initially represented by DOI. Indeed, USAO-DC could only rely on the information provided by DOI that the damage was entirely caused by vandals,” Pirro’s office wrote in Hearn’s case Friday.
“A recent visual inspection showed damage throughout the Reflecting Pool, even in the middle of the pool, where a vandal would not likely attempt to peel the lining,” prosecutors added. “Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“It was not until after the return of the indictment [of Hearn], that the [Department of Interior] provided additional documents to the [US Attorney’s Office in DC] indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, and the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks surrounding Independence Day 2026,” Pirro’s office wrote.
Hearn’s attorneys said in a statement reacting to the decision, “The Trump administration’s case against David Hearn should never have been brought. Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong. The government’s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr. Hearn an apology.”
When CNN called the contractor Friday evening, an employee with Atlantic Industrial Coatings said they hadn’t heard anything about the new filing, adding, “No comment.”
CNN has reached out to the White House and the Interior Department for comment.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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