On August 1, 2026, President Donald Trump publicly criticized Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, for her decision to drop a vandalism case against David "Davey" Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist. Trump expressed his disagreement in a post on Truth Social, stating, "I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro... it was a pure case of VANDALISM."
Hearn was indicted on July 2 for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 19, shortly after renovations overseen by Trump were completed. Hearn pleaded not guilty and claimed that the pool's condition remained unchanged after his involvement.
The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that new information from the Interior Department undermined the evidentiary basis for the indictment, indicating that the damage was due to flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings.
Despite the findings, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum supported Trump's claims of vandalism, stating that evidence of vandalism had been documented. Hearn's attorney criticized the government's actions, asserting that the case should not have been pursued and called for an apology from the Trump administration.
Pirro's office also moved to dismiss at least one other misdemeanor case related to the Reflecting Pool vandalism.