Trump administration drops Reflecting Pool vandalism charge and admits 'botched' repairs

What the report says

US prosecutors have dropped vandalism charges against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, after concluding that damage to Washington DC’s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was likely caused by a flawed contractor installation rather than intentional harm. The filing, made by the US Attorney for Washington DC Jeanine Pirro, says the government now believes the problem stemmed from a rushed and botched job overseen by the Department of the Interior.

Hearn had been accused after an incident last month and faced the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence if convicted. He had denied damaging the pool, telling the BBC he did not destroy or remove any of the paint. His lawyers said the case should never have been brought and argued that he deserved an apology for what they called an abuse of power.

The case drew attention because President Donald Trump had publicly blamed “sick, deranged” vandals for the damage and linked the pool repairs to his wider effort to beautify Washington ahead of the country’s 250th independence anniversary in 2026. According to the court filing, prosecutors learned after the indictment that Interior Department information pointed to faulty installation, not vandalism. The BBC notes that the Reflecting Pool had recently undergone a costly resealing and painting project and had continued to suffer problems afterward.