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.
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
