White House officials have asked the Department of Justice to investigate the possibility of pursuing a new case against the man accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. This request follows the dismissal of felony charges against him weeks ago.
Previously, federal prosecutors dismissed charges against Olympic canoeist David Hearn. The case involved alleged damage to a $14 million renovation project. The U.S. Attorney’s office dropped the charges after the Department of the Interior found that the damage stemmed from installation flaws, not vandalism.
According to The Wall Street Journal, White House officials are considering pursuing a misdemeanor charge against Hearn. No final decision has been reached.
“If true, it would mark a shocking first: a case that the DOJ lost by its own admission because it lacked the evidence to convict, returning from the dead,” Hearn’s attorneys said. “This would add another bizarre turn to a sad chapter in the DOJ’s history and further harass an innocent man.”
The legal team includes Norm Eisen of the Democracy Defenders Fund, Mary Dohrmann of the Washington Litigation Group, and Steve Levin of Steptoe LLP.
Although the original federal case was dropped without prejudice, the Trump administration maintains the damage was due to vandalism. President Trump claimed that knife slashes were evident in the pool’s material. He indicated that individuals had been seen performing suspicious activities at the site.
Ultimately, the U.S. Park Police identified Hearn as a suspect. They reported witnessing him actively damaging the pool’s coating, despite attempts by National Park Service employees to deter him.
The damage, valued at approximately $1,000, led to Hearn’s indictment on one count of felony destruction of property in early July. Trump criticized the decision to drop the charge, calling for a reconsideration.
Trump’s criticism extends to Hearn’s political associations, specifically citing involvement with the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue. He also criticized key figures like Norm Eisen, labelling them as political actors.