President Donald Trump on Saturday sharply criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s assessment that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool resulted from shoddy construction rather than the work of vandals, as he maintains.
Dismissal of Charges and Construction Failures
Pirro’s office moved to drop criminal charges against former Olympian David Hearn on Friday. Hearn had been accused of deliberately damaging the pool following a renovation ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration last month.
In a 20-page court filing, government lawyers stated that documents provided by the Interior Department reveal the damage was the result of a botched installation by a contractor and the "rush to complete the project" prior to Independence Day 2026. A visual inspection also showed damage in the middle of the pool, where prosecutors noted a vandal would unlikely have attempted to peel the lining.
Trump’s Insistence and the "American Flag Blue" Project
Despite the filing, Trump continues to insist "the major damage was caused by VANDALS!" while acknowledging there "may have been some contractor difficulty." He posted a four-minute security video claiming it showed individuals cutting material with a knife, though the distant footage does not clearly confirm vandalism occurred.
The project involved a $14.7 million no-bid contract awarded to Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings. Under Trump’s direction, the pool floor was painted "American flag blue," but chunks of the liner began peeling off within days of completion.
Inter-agency Blame and Legal Fallout
Pirro, a Trump appointee, blamed the Interior Department for providing "less than fulsome information" at the start of the case. She stated that had the DOI been forthcoming, the government would not have sought an indictment. Hearn’s legal team criticized both the President and the U.S. Attorney, stating they are weighing "legal remedies" and asserting that the administration's botched renovation was responsible for the failure all along.
