The Department of Justice (DOJ) moved to drop charges of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool against a former Olympian.
On Friday, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office blamed the contractor for overspraying and delamination in a “rushed and botched installation.”
David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist pleaded not guilty to felony destruction of property last month.
“Specifically, the newly released documents reveal that work on installing the lining almost immediately fell behind, due to a combination of very rainy and windy weather, repeated failures of testing on the sealing of the expansion joints, and delays in obtaining sealing product at the worksite,” prosecutors wrote.
“The rush to complete the project led to hasty and botched work that was not remediated before the project was finished and the fencing removed,” the filing continued.
The Reflecting Pool renovation the Trump administration initiated to improve the city in conjunction with the nation’s 250th birthday.
Hearn was indicted after prosecutors said he “forcefully and violently” ripped up the new bottom liner of the pool with both hands. This caused more than $1,000 in damage to 2 square feet of sealant.
Now, prosecutors blame Atlantic Industrial Coatings — which was given a multimillion-dollar contract to perform the work — and the Interior Department for its “barebones” report about the incident.
Prosecutors said it’s unlikely vandalism caused the damage due to its location. A National Park Service engineer raised concerns about peeling days before Hearn’s arrest.
Prosecutors said they were not aware of the broader issues when Hearn was charged.
“Given all of this newly discovered information, it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt,” prosecutors wrote.
President Donald Trump does not see it that way.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump?gsid=b61995b1-d629-42ec-ba0d-7670f15103a8
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117021210137447022