Trump urges U.S. Attorney Pirro to reconsider dropped reflecting pool case
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President Donald Trump asked Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to revisit her decision to drop charges against former Olympian David Hearn for alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform on Aug. 7 urging U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to reexamine her recent decision to dismiss a felony indictment against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn. The indictment alleged Hearn damaged the reflecting pool’s lining, causing more than $1,000 in repairs, a charge that carries a potential ten-year prison term.
"U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro should re-visit her decision," Trump wrote, adding that she should especially reconsider because Hearn’s lawyer, Norm Eisen, is a "political hack lawyer."
Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics lawyer under the Obama administration, co-founded the Democracy Defenders Fund, which has been involved in several high-profile cases challenging the current administration. Neither Eisen nor the Justice Department responded to requests for comment.
Pirro’s July 31 filing said the indictment was based on "less than fulsome information" from the Department of the Interior, which later supplied evidence that the damage resulted from a flawed installation during a rushed renovation ahead of the "America 250" celebration.
Trump previously criticized Pirro in early August, saying she had "folded like an umbrella" and expressing disappointment over the dismissal. The request marks another instance of the former president publicly commenting on ongoing Justice Department matters, a practice that critics say blurs the line between the executive branch and independent prosecutors.