Former President Donald Trump escalated his critique on Sunday regarding the dismissed vandalism charges linked to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. He drew attention to an account from a National Park Service employee who reportedly observed former Olympian David Hearn "violently" tearing at the pool’s coating prior to the arrival of law enforcement.
New Witness Account Emerges
Trump disseminated a screenshot from court documents via Truth Social. These documents included details from interviews with two National Park Service personnel who were engaged in cleaning the Reflecting Pool's interior when Hearn approached.
According to the court filing, one employee, identified as W-1, stated that Hearn initially used his mobile phone, presumably to capture images or video of existing damage to the pool structure.
The employee then claimed that Hearn "knelt, placed both hands into the reflecting pool, below the surface of the water, and started to ‘violently’ rip and tug at a large portion of the blue pool coating," as documented in the filing Trump shared.
The document further indicated that W-1 instructed a second NPS employee to contact the police and advised Hearn to cease touching or pulling the coating. Hearn allegedly retorted that NPS staff were "awfully sensitive about the pool" and continued to manipulate the coating until National Guard soldiers reached the scene.
Trump referenced this witness testimony on Sunday as he persisted in challenging the case, particularly after federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the felony charge against Hearn earlier in the month.
In his online statement, Trump wrote, "ALERT: A National Park Service career employee, a highly credible witness, saw David Hearn (ActBlue) in broad daylight vandalize the Reflecting Pool by ‘violently’ ripping and tugging at the Pool’s somewhat delicate coating."
The former president asserted that this employee provided their statement to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in early July, contending that this account reinforced his belief that at least some of the damage was intentionally inflicted.
Allegations of Deliberate Damage and Other Incidents
Trump also made claims about additional incidents occurring near the Reflecting Pool, including the alleged application of an "acid like material" on newly installed grass adjacent to the pool, where "86 47" was purportedly inscribed.
"There was substantial other damage to the Reflecting Pool, also but, unfortunately, there is no video or proof, other than the damage, itself," Trump stated.
In the same post, Trump acknowledged that contractors were responsible for some of the issues with the pool, noting "some contractor error" as crews expedited renovation work for the July 4 celebrations, but he described this damage as minor.
"We are working on the Pool, and it will reopen shortly," Trump affirmed, adding that security cameras have been and are being installed.
Background on the Dismissed Charges
This latest statement follows days after Trump had urged U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to re-examine the case subsequent to prosecutors dropping the charge against Hearn.
Hearn was indicted on July 2 on a felony count of destruction of property. U.S. Park Police had alleged that on June 19, he grabbed and pulled at a loose section of the pool's coating and continued despite being told to stop by a National Park Service employee. Officials initially estimated the damage to exceed $1,000.
Pirro’s office later explained that prosecutors had initially received only "barebones" reports from the Department of the Interior before seeking the indictment. They were not initially provided with records documenting more extensive issues related to the pool coating’s installation.
Prosecutors indicated that documents provided after the indictment revealed some of the Reflecting Pool's damage was linked to faulty installation by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings and the accelerated timeline to complete the project before events surrounding the America 250 celebration.
"Had DOI been forthcoming with the information clearly in its possession, the government would not have sought a grand jury indictment," prosecutors wrote in their request for dismissal.
The government asserted that the recently disclosed evidence made it challenging to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Hearn was responsible for the damage specified in the indictment. Prosecutors sought to dismiss the case without prejudice, allowing for the possibility of future charges.
Ongoing Disagreement and Legal Stance
Trump has consistently challenged Pirro’s decision, stating last week that he "disagree[d] 100%" with the U.S. attorney and later accusing her of having "choked" under pressure concerning the case.
Hearn’s legal representatives, Norm Eisen, Mary Dohrmann, and Steve Levin, had previously declared that the case "should never have been brought." They also accused the administration of wrongly arresting and charging an individual whom they maintained "did nothing wrong."
However, Trump reiterated on Sunday that the witness account demonstrates the Reflecting Pool damage was not exclusively due to construction flaws, referencing the government's own court filing to support his position.
