President Donald Trump is weighing a critical decision concerning Jeanine Pirro, a steadfast ally and the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Despite her longtime support, Pirro’s position may be at risk. This all stems from a decision by her office to drop charges against Olympian David Hearn, who had been accused of defacing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Speaking before departing Los Angeles aboard Air Force One, Trump stated he hadn’t yet decided on Pirro’s future. ‘I told her I was not happy,’ he shared, expressing dissatisfaction. Trump emphasized that the pool was indeed vandalized and defended the renovation contractors. ‘I believe she made a huge mistake,’ he noted. ‘Clear evidence of vandalism exists.’ He mentioned that witnesses confirmed seeing the damage, calling it significant.
Trump slams Pirro for dropped charges
The tensions between Trump and Pirro surfaced after attorneys in her jurisdiction dropped the case against Hearn. Trump’s response, overtly frustrated, was heard in the Oval Office where he expressed his discontent. ‘Jeanine Pirro let me down, greatly, by backing out,’ he declared. According to Trump, this was a failure on Pirro’s part to act decisively. Pirro, who has a background as a judge and district attorney, transitioned to Fox News in 2006 and later accepted Trump’s appointment as U.S. Attorney for D.C. in 2025. ‘She seemed to falter,’ Trump added, reflecting an uncertainty about what went wrong.
Pirro defends aide after pool mishap
On Monday night, Pirro was seen heading into the West Wing, likely for a private discussion with Trump. This comes after the president took a personal interest in the $16 million restoration of the reflecting pool, part of his larger Washington, D.C. beautification efforts for the nation’s 250th anniversary. The renovation, despite its acclaim, saw part of its liner unexpectedly detach and float earlier this year, leading to public ridicule. Pirro’s office decided to forgo the federal vandalism case against Hearn after he was caught examining the displaced pool liner back in June.
Case dismissed after new evidence emerges
Authorities from the U.S. Park Police initially detained Hearn, resulting in an indictment for property damage. However, Hearn maintained his innocence. A comprehensive court filing released last Friday introduced new evidence that questioned the foundation of the indictment. The documents illustrated that the pool’s damage was due to faulty installation rather than malice, contradicting the initial claims made by the Interior Department.
Defense calls for case dismissal
‘In light of these revelations, it is challenging to blame the Reflecting Pool’s distress on vandalism, or to prove such claims beyond doubt,’ the court filing concluded. Hearn’s defense argued that the Justice Department should have recognized the case’s weaknesses sooner, as their evidence absolved Hearn of fault. His lawyers have since pressed a judge to dismiss the case indefinitely, preventing any future attempts by Trump’s administration to reinstate it.
Lawyers say pool flaws long documented
They took issue with Pirro’s assertion that prosecutors only recently learned about the pre-existing defects at the pool, saying the government had ‘disregarded readily available evidence’ that the liner was already failing because of installation flaws. ‘From the outset, the evidence showed that the pool liner was already failing and that Mr. Hearn did not cause the damage alleged in the indictment,’ Hearn’s legal team argued in a 28-page motion filed Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court. The poor condition of the pool was ‘plainly visible’ for weeks and was publicly documented through photographs, video and news reports, the lawyers wrote. ‘Defying both decency and common sense, the government proceeded to indict Mr. Hearn before it had obtained or evaluated the information necessary to establish a good-faith basis for the charge,’ the defense attorneys wrote. In addition, they say, the government’s key eyewitness was never presented to the grand jury, and a key prosecution witness on the question of damages ‘stated that the repairs at issue would have been necessary regardless of Mr. Hearn’s alleged conduct and could not identify any additional cost caused by Mr. Hearn.’ The contractor, Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings, ‘publicly acknowledged, before Mr. Hearn was indicted, that portions of the project required repair,’ the lawyers said.
Defense challenges evidence and timing
The firm was awarded a $14.7 million no-bid contract to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor. Hearn pleaded not guilty last month to one felony count of property destruction and had a trial scheduled to start September 28 in DC Superior Court before the case was dismissed. He was facing a maximum prison sentence of 10 years if convicted, as he was accused of causing at least $1,000 in damage to the pool. Trump appointed the former Fox host to her role in his administration last year after his initial pick, Ed Martin, could not be confirmed because of Republican senator holdouts. Pirro’s tenure has been plagued with failures to prosecute the president’s political opponents, despite his adamant attempts to do so. She was unable to indict former Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell for alleged wasteful spending. The former Fox host was also unable to secure indictments against six Democratic lawmakers who had posted a video reminding US military personnel of their obligation to refuse illegal orders. And prosecutors under her watch likewise failed to indict vocal Trump critic New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged bank fraud and alleged false statements regarding a property purchase.
