Source Details

{
    "source_type": "extension",
    "content_hash": "57c4117ab9f623da06903109d17a05249eef3dab76b5a99eba1cb372b7ce05d0",
    "submitted_via": "chrome_extension",
    "extension_version": "1.0.18",
    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/10\/06\/us\/politics\/reflecting-pool-vandalism-case.html?emc=edit_ufn_20261007&nl=from-the-times&segment_id=227671",
    "parsed_content": "Trump Remakes WashingtonKennedy CenterThe Triumphal ArchInstitute of PeaceReflecting PoolBallroom ConstructionAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTWrongly Indicted Man Seeks Inquiry of Official Conduct in Reflecting Pool CaseLawyers for the former Olympian David Hearn accused prosecutors of ignoring their own evidence to indict him and then providing \u201cblatantly false\u201d information about what they knew when.Listen \u00b7 4:24 min Share full articleCharges were dismissed against David Hearn, the former Olympian wrongly accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool, and a judge has barred prosecutors from trying to revive the case against him.Credit...Elizabeth Frantz\/ReutersBy Devlin BarrettReporting from WashingtonOct. 6, 2026See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google Lawyers for a former Olympian who was cleared of charges of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are asking internal government watchdogs to investigate the conduct of senior Justice and Interior Department officials, accusing prosecutors of indicting him despite knowing that a renovation of the pool was failing.In a letter sent on Tuesday to the inspectors general for those agencies, lawyers for the former athlete, David Hearn, say the agencies ignored their own evidence in a rush to satisfy President Trump\u2019s desire for criminal charges. Prosecutors then provided a court \u201cblatantly false\u201d information about when they became aware that the real culprit for the badly peeling liner in the pool was a botched renovation overseen by Mr. Trump, his lawyers wrote.\u201cBecause of the actions of various D.O.J. and D.O.I. employees, Mr. Hearn was deprived of his liberty, indicted for a crime he did not commit, threatened with incarceration of up to 10 years and endured the defaming of his name and reputation by high-ranking government officials,\u201d Mr. Hearn\u2019s lawyers wrote. Among the lawyers requesting the investigation is Michael R. Bromwich, a former inspector general at the Justice Department.A spokesman for the Justice Department inspector general declined to comment. Representatives for the Interior Department inspector general and the office of Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, did not respond to messages seeking comment.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMs. Pirro has defended her decision to pursue the prosecution and blamed the Interior Department for not providing relevant evidence in time. But the letter from Mr. Hearn\u2019s lawyers says that her office knew at least a day before it took the case to a grand jury that the pool liner had been failing for weeks.\u201cIn its motion to dismiss, the government claims it first learned of the liner\u2019s pervasive failures during a defense expert\u2019s inspection on July 17, 2026,\u201d Mr. Hearn\u2019s lawyers wrote. \u201cThis is blatantly false and is directly refuted by the government\u2019s own file.\u201dMr. Hearn\u2019s lawyers wrote that a June 30 damage assessment, which prosecutors received by July 1, \u201cdocumented damage throughout the pool as early as June 8,\u201d more than a week before Mr. Hearn visited the pool. Prosecutors gave that document to Mr. Hearn\u2019s lawyers on July 10, \u201ca week before the date on which it now claims to have first learned of these liner issues,\u201d the letter says.Sign up for the On Politics newsletter. It's a pivotal moment for American politics. Join us for 2026 and beyond. Get it sent to your inbox.Last week, a judge barred prosecutors from trying to revive the case against him. Typically, prosecutors would be allowed to reinvestigate a criminal matter if they found new evidence. In this case, however, the judge noted that the president had publicly demanded criminal charges be filed. Without an explicit court order, the judge concluded, Justice Department lawyers could cave to political pressure from the White House and refile meritless charges.The case against Mr. Hearn appeared flawed from the start, and collapsed within weeks of his indictment. He had stopped by the Reflecting Pool on June 19 and reached into the pool, where pieces of the liner had already been coming apart, just days after its installation.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTAccording to court papers, National Guard troops grabbed Mr. Hearn and brought him to the U.S. Park Police, who arrested him. He was accused of tearing up a section of the pool liner. Mr. Hearn has said he touched a piece of the liner that was already torn but did not tear it.Ms. Pirro dropped the indictment weeks after filing it, based on what she said was new evidence about the flaws in the application of the pool liner, a decision that enraged the president.\u201cI disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool,\u201d Mr. Trump posted on social media.And despite the evidence to the contrary, the president has shown no sign of backing away from his claims of vandals since.\u201cWe had vandalism there,\u201d he told reporters on Tuesday, adding, \u201cOnly sick people do that.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT"
}