President Donald Trump said a National Park Service employee witnessed former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, renewing his call for prosecution while acknowledging that some defects were caused by contractor errors.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump on Sunday renewed his demand for criminal action against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, saying a National Park Service employee personally witnessed Hearn damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in broad daylight.
In a Truth Social post, Trump described the career Park Service employee as a “highly credible witness” who allegedly saw Hearn “in broad daylight vandalize the Reflecting Pool by ‘violently’ ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate coating.”
Trump said the employee provided that account to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in early July.
The president’s latest comments came after federal prosecutors moved on July 31 to dismiss the vandalism case against Hearn, citing newly disclosed records that they said “strongly suggest that a rushed and botched installation” was responsible for the damage.
A federal judge has since approved the government’s request and dismissed the case.
Trump nevertheless argued that evidence of deliberate vandalism remains and called for prosecutors to revisit the matter.
He also alleged that an “acid-like material” had been used on newly installed grass adjacent to the reflecting pool, where the numbers “86 47” were written.
Trump said the phrase was “probably gotten from James Comey,” referring to a controversial social media post made by the former FBI director.
The president further alleged that there was “substantial other damage” to the reflecting pool.
Trump acknowledged, however, that no video or other direct evidence had been produced showing who caused that additional damage beyond the physical condition of the pool itself.
He also conceded that some of the problems were caused by mistakes made by the contractor responsible for the work.
“As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening, but it was a very small area of this massive Pool, and was relatively inconsequential,” Trump wrote.
Trump said repairs to the reflecting pool are underway and that it is expected to reopen soon.
He also said security cameras have now been installed around the site and that additional cameras are being added.
The dispute intensified Friday when Trump called on Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, to reconsider the case after new images emerged showing what a photographer described as cuts in expansion joints along the reflecting pool.
Trump sharply criticized Pirro following the decision by prosecutors to seek dismissal of the charges against Hearn.
The prosecution had concluded that records disclosed after the case was filed pointed instead toward construction problems, particularly work performed under pressure to complete the pool before its July 4 reopening.
Trump’s Sunday statement acknowledged that contractor mistakes occurred but maintained that those defects represented only a small portion of the damage and that the Park Service employee’s alleged eyewitness account supported further investigation of Hearn.
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