David Hearn says Reflecting Pool case isn’t over : NPR
NPR Topics: Politics — 2026-08-10 15:49:00 — www.npr.org
Trump Repeats False Claims About Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Vandalism Despite Contradictory Evidence
President Trump has continued to assert that vandals, specifically naming David Hearn, damaged the lining of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, despite clear evidence contradicting his claims. In a recent post on Truth Social, Trump insisted, “A National Park Service career employee, a highly credible witness, saw David Hearn (ActBlue) in broad daylight vandalize the Reflecting Pool by ‘violently’ ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate coating,” while also conceding, “there was also some contractor error.”
These statements come after federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the vandalism case against Hearn and three others, following a legal filing by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro that attributed the damage to “botched installation” of the pool’s lining, not vandalism. Pirro’s 20-page legal filing, supported by Department of the Interior records, stated, “It is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Trump’s repeated claims directly contradict the findings of the federal investigation and the official legal filings. Despite the evidence, Trump has publicly criticized Pirro, accusing her of “folding like an umbrella” for moving to dismiss the case.
The case against Hearn, a former U.S. Olympian, has become a national story and a symbolic referendum on the Trump administration’s handling of the situation. Hearn and his legal team continue to seek a dismissal “with prejudice” to prevent the case from being reopened, arguing that the charges were politically motivated and unsupported by facts.
This episode highlights a pattern in which Trump persists in making public claims that are not supported by official evidence or legal findings, raising concerns about the impact of such statements on public trust and the justice system.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2026/08/10/nx-s1-5925117/reflecting-pool-david-hearn-legal-fight