Donald Trump’s top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C. has abandoned the prosecution of an Olympic medalist accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Jeanine Pirro, in a motion late Friday, moved to dismiss the charges against David Hearn, 67, a former Olympic canoeist who competed in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympics. Heard pleaded not guilty to a single count of destruction of property.
In a devastating blow to the 80-year-old president’s claims that damages to the newly renovated pool were caused by “radical” vandals, Pirro cited the “flawed installation by the contractor” tasked with renovating the pool, as well as the Department of Interior’s “failure to fully and accurately provide information” to Pirro’s prosecutors.
The news comes a week after Pirro, 75, had been warned by Judge Todd Edelman that the Trump administration was “operating at its own peril” in the case.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Pirro’s office for comment.
In a statement, Hearn’s lawyers said Pirro never had a case.
“The Trump administration’s case against Davey Hearn should have never been brought,” said Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Fund, Mary Dohrmann of the Washington Litigation Group, and Steve Levin of Steptoe LLP. “Its dismissal today does not erase the abuse of government power in arresting and charging a patriotic American who did nothing wrong. The government’s approach was ready, fire, aim. The administration owes Mr. Hearn an apology.”
Hearn previously told NBC that, while on a June 19 bike ride, he stopped at the pool and touched a piece of coating that was already detached.
Pirro’s office had argued that Hearn was seen “forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner.”
But during grand jury proceedings, one of the government’s witnesses “could not quantify any loss” due to Hearn, and said that repairs were already necessary “before the defendant interacted with the pool.”
“Simply put, the government’s witness could not identify any additional cost caused by Mr. Hearn’s alleged conduct,” the filing from Hearn’s lawyers said. “Indeed, the witness did not even say or suggest that the alleged conduct had compromised the liner at all.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
