Accused Olympian seeks protection from future Reflecting Pool charges

White House officials have sought guidance from the Justice Department on whether new criminal charges can be pursued against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist who was initially accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. This comes after previous charges against Hearn were dismissed, prompting renewed interest in the case following the confirmation of Attorney General Todd Blanche, which drew concerns among some senators about potential bias toward former President Donald Trump. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, abandoned the prosecution against Hearn after reviewing documents that indicated the damage to the Reflecting Pool resulted from a flawed refurbishment project supported by Trump. According to court filings, the government found it challenging to prove that the extensive damage was due to vandalism, much less establish this beyond a reasonable doubt. The initial indictment claimed Hearn maliciously injured, broke, and destroyed the pool's lining. Hearn explained that during a June bike ride, he reached into the water to examine a piece of the blue coating that had already become detached from the bottom. He emphasized that he operates a waterproofing business and was inspecting the liner rather than intentionally causing damage. Initially charged with a misdemeanor, the offense was later escalated to a felony. However, Pirro acknowledged the felony charge was misguided and was observed carrying a box of evidence from the Interior Department that cleared Hearn and others. President Trump expressed strong disagreement with Pirro's decision to drop the charges, stating on his social media platform that she should reconsider her hasty choice. A judicial deadline looms as the presiding judge plans a hearing in September to decide whether the dismissal of charges against Hearn should be "with prejudice." The government must respond by August 18 regarding the prejudice issue. In their request to dismiss the charges, Pirro sought a dismissal "without prejudice," allowing prosecutors to potentially revisit the same alleged conduct. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice emphasized that the department bases its decisions on evidence and the law, evaluating each case accordingly. Norm Eisen, co-counsel for Hearn, warned that pursuing new charges would represent a startling precedent, reviving a case the DOJ itself admitted lacked sufficient evidence for conviction. He described the situation as adding yet another strange twist to a troubling period in the DOJ's history, further harassing an innocent individual. Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, launched an investigation into the charges against Hearn, a constituent of the Maryland Democrat. In a letter, Raskin questioned whether DOJ prosecutors deliberately filed a baseless indictment and whether the Department of the Interior withheld critical evidence to shift blame onto an innocent man. He suggested that members of the Trump administration might have aimed to imprison an innocent citizen for years to appease a former landlord's ego over a poor paint job and wasteful contract. Interior officials reportedly identified issues with the peeling liner as early as June 11, more than a week before Hearn's arrest, but did not share that information with prosecutors until after the indictment was issued. Raskin requested all records related to the decision to prosecute Hearn, including documentation surrounding the choice to pursue charges against him.