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Charges Dropped Against Ex-Olympian David Hearn Accused of Damaging Reflecting Pool
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Federal prosecutors revealed that contractors hired during the Trump administration botched the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, causing widespread damage to its new blue lining.
- The Interior Department falsely attributed the damage to vandalism, contradicting the actual cause which was a faulty installation.
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, an ally of Trump, filed a motion to dismiss felony charges against David Hearn, who was previously accused of damaging the pool's lining.
- Pirro admitted that prosecutors were misled by the Interior Department, which awarded a no-bid contract to an inexperienced contractor and concealed the early onset of the peeling coating.
- This reversal contradicts earlier claims by Pirro and President Trump that vandals had slashed the pool's lining.
