Justice Department moves to dismiss case against Olympian David Hearn

The Justice Department moved to dismiss the criminal case against former three-time U.S. Olympian David Hearn after new evidence pointed to a construction failure, not vandalism, at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Additional Interior Department documents changed the government's account of who caused the damage and why.

Hearn, a canoeist, was indicted in Washington, D.C., on July 2, 2026, on a felony destruction of property charge tied to a June 19 incident. Prosecutors initially said he had damaged the pool by pulling up recently installed sealant or liner material. Hearn denied causing any damage and later pleaded not guilty.

In the dismissal filing, federal prosecutors called the problem “flawed installation” or “botched” contractor work and linked it to the rush to finish the project before America 250 celebration events. Additional Interior Department documents arrived after the indictment and showed the damage was caused by the installation itself, not vandalism as originally represented by the Department of the Interior.

The decision put Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, at the center of a public clash over prosecutorial authority. Pirro had previously said Hearn was seen “forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner” of the pool, but her office later moved to dismiss the charge after the new documents came in.

Donald Trump then openly objected to Pirro’s decision, saying he disagreed with his own appointee and asking, “I don’t know what she was thinking?” He continued to insist that vandals, not construction problems, had damaged the Reflecting Pool, while acknowledging only that there may have been some contractor difficulty.

Hearn’s lawyers said the dismissal did not erase what they called an abuse of government power and said the government owed him an apology.