A federal judge raised alarms that President Trump’s public push to revisit the vandalism case against David Hearn could permanently derail new charges, putting prosecutors and the justice system on the spot. Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn returned to court Friday, hoping to end the legal saga that has surrounded his alleged role in damage […] The post Judge questions future of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool case after Trump’s call for prosecution appeared first on American Almanac .
A federal judge raised alarms that President Trump’s public push to revisit the vandalism case against David Hearn could permanently derail new charges, putting prosecutors and the justice system on the spot. Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn returned to court Friday, hoping to end the legal saga that has surrounded his alleged role in damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. Hearn’s attorneys urged Judge Todd Edelman to dismiss the case “with prejudice,” a move that would prevent federal prosecutors from bringing any new charges based on the same incident. The central dispute is not just about the facts of the alleged vandalism, but about the fallout from heated public statements made by President Donald…Open
Prosecutors argue the Reflecting Pool vandalism case against David Hearn should be dismissed without prejudice, which would leave the door open to re-charge him.
Trump set out in late March to renovate the Reflecting Pool, which he described as “absolutely filthy” and vowed to make it “look gorgeous.” One of his changes was to paint the bottom of the pool “American flag blue.” By June 11, a National Park Service engineer’s saw that this bottom layer was peeling, a phenomenon that Trump blamed on vandalism. David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, was arrested and indicted when he reached into the Reflecting Pool. The case was later dismissed after the Justice Department admitted that the $14 million renovation was flawed. CNN spoke to Hearn’s attorney, the CEO of the company in charge of the pool’s water quality and David Hearn through the saga. 0:00 David Hearn is indicted 0:35…
In a lengthy Truth Social post, President Trump admitted that some damage to the Reflecting Pool was caused by "contractor error" and a rush to get the job done by July 4th. However, the president said that the error was in a small area of the pool and doubled down on vandalism claims against former Olympian David Hearn, despite the Justice Department moving to dismiss the case against Hearn, citing evidence that the damage was caused by a botched installation.
His lawyers claim that prosecutors provided the grand jury with inadequate evidence to support the amount of damage alleged in former Olympian David Hearn's indictment.
Former U.S. Olympian David Hearn is one of seven people who face charges in what Trump has said were efforts to sabotage the renovation project, one of several projects the president has initiated as part of a plan to beautify the nation's capital.
Canoeist David Hearn plead not guilty in D.C. Superior Court Thursday to a charge of destruction of property causing more than $1,000 in damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The Justice Department's Reflecting Pool vandalism allegations are heading to court with former Olympian David Hearn set for arraignment in DC tomorrow. The Hill's Sophie Brams and Ryan Mancini break down what the Trump administration has said and what still has not been shown publicly. #reflectingpool #lincolnmemorial #davidhearn #olympian #justicedepartment #doj #arraignment #trumpadministration #thegavel
Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn is facing a felony charge after federal prosecutors alleged he damaged the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool. The Hill's Sophie Brams and Ryan Mancini break down U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s announcement, the Justice Department’s claims, and the response from Hearn’s attorneys. Watch the full episode here: https://thehill.com/newsletters/the-gavel/the-gavel-live-briefing/5959169-lincoln-memorial-reflecting-pool-legal-battle-live-discussion/ #olympian #davidhearn #lincolnmemorial #reflectingpool #washingtondc #dc #justicedepartment #doj #indictment #thegavel
