Three-time US Olympian David Hearn has been indicted by a grand jury in Washington DC following allegations that he vandalized the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The charges come after US President Donald Trump claimed the pool had been targeted by vandals, amid the catastrophic failure of a $14.7 million renovation project.
Indictment Details
The indictment accuses Hearn, 67, of "maliciously" breaking or destroying lining material on the bottom of the reflecting pool on June 19. Prosecutors allege Hearn caused more than $1,000 worth of damage after tearing up the pool's bottom liner and refusing to stop when confronted. He could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
Jeanine Pirro, the lawyer representing Washington DC, announced the single felony charge at a press conference on July 2. Pirro stated that prosecutors have "tremendous evidence" that Hearn "forcefully and violently" pulled up and removed the bottom liner. She described Hearn as "belligerent" and "disrespectful" when asked to stop by National Park Service staff. "Today is about accountability for damaging a national resource, a national treasure," Pirro said.
Hearn's Defense
Hearn's legal representatives, Norm Eisen and Mary Dohrmann, rejected the allegations, accusing the Trump administration of criminalizing routine behavior. "These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American. On the eve of our nation's Independence Day, Americans should be deeply concerned by the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative," they said.
Hearn told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool to inspect the flaking coating, momentarily touching a section that remained fixed to the pool's edge. He released it after a park employee instructed him to do so. Hearn said he paused at the pool during a 102-kilometer bike ride but was instead held by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being freed. He also refuted claims of deliberately damaging the pool in an interview with the Washington Post: "I didn't vandalise anything. I didn't destroy or break or peel anything. By the time I realised what was going on, I was being put in handcuffs."
Background: Failed Renovation
Trump's vandalism claims emerged after his failed $14.7 million renovation project of the pool, which has been extensively documented as a catastrophe. Trump demanded the bottom of the reflecting pool be painted "American Flag Blue," but within days, algae blooms turned the water green. Subsequently, the bottom paint started peeling away in strips. Some suggested hydrogen peroxide, a common paint stripper, was poured into the pool by National Park Service workers to tackle the algae, causing the damage. Trump, however, maintained the damaged paint was the result of vandalism.
Trump took to Truth Social in June to condemn the alleged vandals, claiming federal authorities had made "multiple arrests." He wrote: "Many additional people have been arrested having to do with the disgraceful Vandalism of our beautiful Reflecting Pool. What they have damaged does not even include the earlier killing of a large amount of grass... They took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade... They also poured corrosive and destructive chemicals into the Pool."
Trump also targeted ABC reporter Jonathan Karl, accusing him of sticking his hand in the pool and trying to rub the rubber off the surface. Karl had reported that the pool was filled with gunk and green algae, and the paint job was falling apart, contradicting Trump's claims that the renovation was "very complex, but powerful."
Ongoing Issues
The Reflecting Pool has long been a headache for successive US administrations, with persistent algae buildup hampering its ability to reflect the Lincoln Memorial as intended.
