RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Topline The White House is seeking new charges against former Olympian David Hearn, according to The Wall Street Journal , asking the Justice Department to consider a new prosecution against him after U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro dropped the case against Hearn this month and provoked President Donald Trump’s ire .
The White House’s request comes after Pirro found the evidence given to her office significantly undermined “the evidentiary basis for the indictment,” primarily blaming the Reflecting Pool’s loose sealant on “a rushed and flawed installation process.”
A filing from Pirro also said the evidence provided to her office made it “difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Trump has since blasted Pirro for dropping the case against Hearn and other alleged vandals , though he later acknowledged “some contractor difficulty” and “contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening.”
Trump also said this week there is "no video or proof, other than the damage itself," days after Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum claimed federal prosecutors provided expert and eyewitness testimony to Pirro’s office.
Forbes has reached out to the White House for comment.
It is unclear what new charges could be brought against Hearn. The former Olympian pleaded not guilty to a single charge of destruction of property worth $1,000 or more, arguing he had only briefly touched a loose piece of the pool’s sealant.
Trump sought lengthy jail time for the alleged Reflecting Pool vandals after they were charged earlier this summer. In an Oval Office appearance, he pointed to a federal statute prohibiting the destruction of federal property that carries a maximum of up to 10 years in prison. “I think they’re in big trouble,” he said.
Trump’s $16 million Reflecting Pool renovation ran into several problems after it began in April. Algae blooms, which Trump wanted to eliminate with the renovation, have occurred multiple times in the pool since the start of the renovation, turning its water green. The pool’s “American flag blue” sealant also peeled in June, leaving some pieces near or on the pool’s surface. Hearn was charged after touching a peeled piece, marking the first of multiple vandalism cases brought by Pirro’s office. Trump claimed the sealant was cut into a 350-foot gash with knives and razor blades, with Pirro initially alleging “unchecked vandalism” was to blame for the loose material.
Trump Says Alleged Reflecting Pool Vandals Should Be Jailed ‘For A Long Time’ (Forbes)
Trump Doubles Down On Reflecting Pool Vandal Claims—After Pirro Drops Vandalism Case (Forbes)
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