Judge Sides with Vandal, Ignores Presidential Concerns in Reflecting Pool Case
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A Washington judge dismissed the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn for alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, citing supposed 'presidential pressure' from President Trump, who sought accountability for the damage.
District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the criminal case against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn for alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, ordering the case dismissed with prejudice and preventing prosecutors from refiling. The judge cited 'exceptional circumstances' due to what he called the risk of President Donald Trump pressuring prosecutors to reinstate charges—effectively punishing the President for demanding accountability.
Edelman noted that Trump, who had recently ordered much-needed renovations to the pool, had publicly criticized U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro after she moved to drop the case, correctly insisting the damage was intentional vandalism, despite claims that a flawed installation was to blame.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence told the court that there was a public interest in allowing a grand jury to consider an indictment if new information emerged, but Hearn's lawyers argued there was no reason to keep the case alive given the so-called new evidence.
'While all defendants deal with some degree of uncertainty regarding the odds of re-prosecution after a case has been dismissed, Mr. Hearn faces the unique possibility that the government will revive this case – one that it has already announced to be meritless – based on political pressure brought by the President of the United States upon his subordinate officers,' Edelman wrote.
The judge claimed to respect the U.S. Attorney's discretion but asserted the government had no right to retain the ability to revive a case he deemed meritless. Hearn's attorneys celebrated the ruling as a victory, while the White House and the U.S. Attorney's office, likely frustrated by the lack of justice, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.