Dropped Cases Against Alleged Reflecting Pool Vandals Followed a Rush to Judgment

Trump still seems to think the question of individual guilt or innocence is irrelevant.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s decision to drop cases against people suspected of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has opened a new line of scrutiny around the potential legal ramifications. As lawyers question what federal prosecutors knew and when, some suggested civil rights or defamation suits may follo

Kylie Cooper / REUTERS President Donald Trump’s crusade against the purported Reflecting Pool vandals has been hit with a humiliating roadblock. The office of Jeanine Pirro, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has dropped charges against three other individuals previously accused of destroyi

Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., dropped criminal charges against three remaining people accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, days after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office abandoned a felony case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn. The dismissals came the same week that Presid

David Hearn has ‘number of potential remedies’ after being prosecuted in connection with pool damage, attorney says An attorney for the former Olympic canoeist who was charged with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool has said that “all options are on table” for legal recourse after prosecutors recently aba

Interior secretary contradicted by X users after insisting that damage to the Washington landmark was not the fault of contractors, despite Department of Justice admitting otherwise in court filing

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro hauled a crate of evidence to the White House Monday evening in a bid to convince President Donald Trump that vandals weren’t responsible for damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump is reportedly considering firing Pirro over the Department of Justice’s admission in court that

Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol went live to cover the DOJ dropping more Reflecting Pool cases, Senate Republicans advancing Todd Blanche’s vote out of committee, Max Miller defiantly staying in for bid for re-election, and Oman and Iran potentially coming to a deal over the Strait of Hormuz.Leave a commentJoin Bulwark+

With four collapsed cases, it appears the president’s embarrassment led to sham prosecutions.

Charges Against Remaining Reflecting Pool Case Defendants Dropped Despite Trump Complaints  forbes.com

Since Friday, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office has dropped charges against three more people accused of vandalism.

Atty for Ex-Olympian speaks out after Reflecting Pool vandalism case dropped  CNN

Trump claimed surveillance footage proved the pool's new liner had been vandalized and argued that Jeanine Pirro, a close political ally, should have continued pursuing the case.

Federal prosecutors moved to drop their case against David Hearn, blaming Reflecting Pool damage on a "botched installation" rather than vandalism. That has implications for others who were charged.

After revelations that a botched renovation, not vandalism, had caused the pool’s recent problems, the U.S. attorney’s office has dropped several prosecutions.

Trump Team Feuds Over Whether Reflecting Pool Was Hit by Vandals or Botched Work  wsj.com

Reflecting Pool visitors react to DOJ dropping 'vandalism' charges  USA Today

President Trump publicly opposed the DOJ's dismissal of charges against David Hearn, claiming the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalism.