Trump says he disapproves of DOJ dropping reflecting pool charges
by Lisa Hornung · UPIAug. 1 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump has called out District Attorney Jeanine Pirro after her office moved to dismiss charges against an Olympic canoeist for vandalism.
Prosecutors on Friday made the motion to dismiss charges against David Hearn, 67, and admitted that the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was due to a "botched installation and not vandalism." Hearn was indicted in early July for purposely ripping up a piece of the blue sealant from the bottom of the pool.
The filing in D.C Superior Court lists documents and evidence showing the contracting work was rushed to finish in time for the America 250 celebrations and was not done properly.
"I disagree 100% with Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, on the Reflecting Pool," Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday. "I don't know what she was thinking? To me, it was a pure case of VANDALISM, that included the grass, which had a big 86 47 emblazoned in giant letters on it, and other elements of the surrounding area. There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!"
Soon after, he posted again, saying, "Look for yourselves at the VANDALISM that took place at The Reflecting Pool. The material is being cut with a knife or a box cutter, for all to see!"
This week in Washington
President Donald Trump announces a program to allow veterans to expedite a career in commercial trucking on Thursday. Known as the Freedom Haulers program, the initiative would allow any veterans who drove heavy equipment to be automatically eligible for a commercial trucking license. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License Photo