Headline Roundup • August 4th, 2026
DOJ Drops Charges Against Reflecting Pool 'Vandals,' Trump Criticizes DC Attorney Jeanine Pirro
Donald Trump,Washington DC,Monuments,Interior Department,Trump Administration,Vandalism,Arrests,Criminal Justice,Justice Department,Water And Oceans
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the Washington Monument Reflecting Pool renovations were "hasty and botched," and charges against four of the seven accused of vandalizing the pool were dropped.
Dropped Charges: On July 31, mainstream media reported that the charges against former Olympian David Hearn were dropped. Days later, several outlets reported that filings showed the charges against three others were also dropped on July 31. Hearn's attorneys said the charges "should never have been brought" and that their "dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong." According to The Wall Street Journal (Center bias), Hearn's lawyers may take legal action against the Trump administration.
Trump-Pirro Feud: US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro (Right) filed a motion to dismiss the charges, noting that they would be difficult to pursue. She said, "Had [the Interior Department] been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment." President Trump doubled down on his claims that the pool's problems were caused by vandalism and said of Pirro on Monday, "Frankly, I think she choked, because 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… I was disappointed in Jeanine Pirro. Really disappointed in Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella." CNN (Lean Left) reported that Trump was considering firing Pirro over the weekend.
Media Perspectives: Politico (Lean Left) said Pirro's filing "marks the end of an embarrassing saga for the Trump administration." Matt Vespa of Townhall (Right) said it's "good news" Pirro was not fired. Harry Litman of The New Republic (Left) said, "Some gave her credit for belatedly doing the right thing. But she had no choice, and she's still a disgrace." Jeffrey Blehar (Lean Right) of National Review (Right) said Hearn was caught up in a scheme of Trump's to have "his flunkies… find people to prosecute, to justify his rant." Blehar added, "Trump doesn't care about dragging some random civilian into a spurious federal prosecution; in fact, he long ago confessed that he thrills at the idea of weaponizing the legal system against anyone he perceives as a personal enemy."
Read AllSides' Past Coverage:
- Trump Orders Immediate Repairs to Reflecting Pool and Police Arrest 5, Including US Olympian | June 22
- Is Algae Already Growing Again in the Renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool? | June 16
- Are Trump's Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Renovations Ahead of or Behind Schedule? | May 20
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Featured Coverage of this Story
AFP via Getty Images/Kent Nishimura
President Donald Trump's botched renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of a "hasty" installation by the contractor, and not vandalism, the Department of Justice revealed Friday afternoon.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, in a motion to dismiss charges against former Olympian David Hearn for allegedly vandalizing the reflecting pool, wrote that previously undisclosed problems with the installation of its blue lining make proving a felony destruction of government property charge difficult.
The decision by Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, to abandon prosecutions alleging vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has sparked tension within the Trump administration that could end her tenure.
The about-face also could provide an avenue for three-time Olympian David Hearn and other defendants to sue the government and press for sanctions against the prosecutors.
President Donald Trump expressed disappointment Monday in U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro's handling of the Reflecting Pool controversy, claiming she "choked."
Pirro's office moved last week to drop charges against a former Olympic athlete they accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool outside the Lincoln Memorial, claiming that new information has since indicated that damage to the pool was the result of a rushed job.
