U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro has filed a motion to dismiss the indictment against U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who was charged with vandalizing the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial. Pirro’s court filing revealed that new evidence pointed to flaws in the pool’s installation as the cause of the damage rather than intentional vandalism by Hearn. After initially being accused of ripping up the pool’s liner, Hearn was defended by his attorneys who described the charges as politically motivated and unfair.

Pirro stated that after the indictment was issued, the Department of the Interior provided additional documents showing the damage was linked to “flawed installation” work done by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings and the project’s rushed timeline ahead of the America 250 celebration in July 2026. She criticized the Interior Department for incomplete information being given to prosecutors initially, which led to a premature grand jury indictment against Hearn. The renewed evidence undermined the validity of the vandalism claims.

The defense team, including lawyers Norm Eisen, Mary Dohrmann, and Steve Levin, condemned the government’s handling of the case, calling it an abuse of power and insisting Hearn was wrongfully targeted. They argued the administration should apologize for subjecting Hearn, a patriotic American and former Olympian, to such charges without merit. The White House declined to comment on the dismissal motion, while the contractor responsible for the installation has acknowledged ongoing minor repairs without admitting liner failure.

Pirro’s filing also shed light on the troubled renovation of the Reflecting Pool, pointing to weather delays, repeated failures in sealing tests, and supply shortages that compromised the work quality. The project was awarded via no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a company with ties to former President Donald Trump. Despite Trump’s public boasting of the renovation, the flaws and rushed completion ultimately led to the pool’s persistent issues and false accusations against Hearn over damage that was part of a botched installation process.