Another Pirro Loss: DOJ Drops Case Against Olympic Canoeist, Admitting Reflecting Pool Renovation Was ‘Hasty and Botched’

The Justice Department has dropped its criminal case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, the latest in a growing string of courtroom embarrassments for the United States attorney in the nation’s capital, Jeanine Pirro.In a filing late Friday, Ms. Pirro’s office moved to dismiss the felony destruction of property charge against Mr. Hearn, 67, who had been accused of “forcefully and violently” ripping up the lining of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June. Mr. Hearn had pleaded not guilty, maintaining that during a bike ride, he simply touched a piece of coating that was already detached.The reversal is a direct blow to President Trump, who for weeks publicly insisted that vandals — not his administration’s rushed $14 million renovation — were responsible for the pool’s failing lining, chronic algae blooms, and green-hued water. Ms. Pirro’s office acknowledged Friday that the damage “was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism,” pointing the finger squarely at contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings and the Interior Department for withholding key information.“Had DOI been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment,” her filing said.A National Park Service engineer had flagged peeling of the liner as early as June 11 — eight days before Mr. Hearn’s arrest — raising serious questions about what federal agencies knew and when. The contractor was paid more than $14.6 million for the job, awarded through a no-bid process to meet Mr. Trump’s July 4 deadline.Mr. Hearn’s attorneys were unsparing in their response. “The Trump administration’s case against Davey Hearn should never have been brought,” said attorneys Norm Eisen, Mary Dohrmann, and Steve Levin. “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.” The Reflecting Pool debacle is far from the only legal setback for Ms. Pirro, a former judge and Fox News television personality. Her tenure has been defined by a remarkable pattern of overreach:Congressional video case: After Mr. Trump called a congressional video about unlawful military orders “sedition,” Ms. Pirro launched a criminal investigation. A grand jury unanimously rejected her proposed indictment — an almost unheard-of outcome — and the case was dropped two weeks later.Flag-burning case: Ms. Pirro prosecuted a veteran for burning a flag outside the White House — a right protected by the First Amendment. Facing a court deadline, her office quietly dropped the charges.Subway sandwich case: Ms. Pirro sought felony assault charges against a man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent. The grand jury refused to indict. She then charged him with a misdemeanor — and a trial jury found him not guilty.Sidney Reid case: Three separate grand juries rejected Ms. Pirro’s felony assault charges stemming from a minor scuffle at a protest. Again, a trial jury acquitted.Federal Reserve subpoenas: Chief Judge James Boasberg threw out two grand jury subpoenas Ms. Pirro issued to the Federal Reserve as part of a criminal investigation into the then Fed chairman, Jerome Powell — a probe Mr. Trump had pushed. Judge Boasberg found the subpoenas were issued to pressure Mr. Powell into cutting interest rates. “Searching for any reason to suspect that Powell might have lied to Congress,” the judge wrote, “the Government might as well investigate him for mail fraud because someone once saw him send a letter.”

Another Pirro Loss: DOJ Drops Case Against Olympic Canoeist, Admitting Reflecting Pool Renovation Was ‘Hasty and Botched’

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